Violently Happy
by Khaleda
Summary: I never realized what a fool I was for that girl. The extent at which she rooted herself into me and my semblance of a life was almost disturbing... JinxRaven.
1. Rainy Day

**Violently Happy**

**Chapter One: Rainy Day**

November always managed to be an awkward month with fickle weather, filling that gap between the "joys" of December and the crisp starkness of October. The air remained in a constant state of mist, unsure whether or not it wanted to rain. Never cold enough to snow, yet cold enough to be unpleasant and irritating without some form of jacket or coat. Luckily for Jinx, her choice occupation ensured that she always had what she needed. She shoved her hands deeper into the pockets of her black coat as a gust of wind whipped across the rooftop she was perched on.

_Hmm, such a wonderful night_. She focused on the front of the store she was watching, her eyes easily picking up her surroundings in the murky night. _Come on, lock up the store, old man…_ she willed. The owner of the store was calmly sipping coffee and reading a magazine while he leaned on the counter. The building was a small family owned electronics store, which meant minimal security, if any.

"Gizmo to Jinx, where the hell are you?" crackled an annoying voice over the communicator in her pocket.

Jinx rolled her eyes and snatched the small device, holding down the call button and replying in her own annoyed tone. "I'm working."

"Working? What? Why didn't you tell us?" came that voice again.

"Because it's a one girl job. I don't need the whole damn team here to mess it up."

"But what if the stinkin' Titans show? You can't take them all on your own!"

"They won't even know I was here…especially without you making an ass of yourself."

"Whatever, just don't call me at three thirty in the morning when you're sitting in jail."

"I love you too, Gizmo. Jinx out." She shook her head and shoved the com back into her pocket with a sigh. Looking back at her mark, she noticed that the man had finally started to leave. She watched him switch off the lights and put on his coat and gloves. With his coffee still in one hand, he stepped out into the crisp night air and shut the door behind him. He proceeded to lock the three bolts and turned left, walking slowly down the street.

"Finally," she grinned and made her way to a series of steel steps, vaulting over the railing, landing gently in a crouch down in the alley below. She was grateful she'd decided to leave her boots with the massive heels at home this evening; the dodgey weather would have ruined the leather. That and she just landed in three inches of water and now her flats were soaked. Shaking her head, Jinx peered out and around the street.

The coast was clear. With a smile, she slipped across the street to the alley beside the store, and scrambled up and over the chain link fence. She found that perhaps she should have looked first before leaping over, because when she landed she came face to face with a sleeping Doberman. _Oh…damn…_Jinx froze. The constant wind had masked the sound of her squeaky-shoes in the landing, but it was only a matter of seconds before the dog noticed her scent and opened its eyes. Biting her lip, she straightened and shifted ever so softly to the right, and tip toed past the dog. _Please don't wake up, please don't wake up…_Her shoes squeaked.

The dog stirred.

Jinx never knew she could move so fast. In half a second she had leapt onto a trash can, up the drainpipe, and onto the roof before the dog even noticed she was there. She peered over the edge to see the dog patrolling the fence, sniffing, pacing; searching. "Stupid wet shoes," she muttered under her breath as she brushed herself off.

* * *

Raven sighed. Why had she agreed to pick up dinner for the team? Oh yeah…because Beast Boy was driving her absolutely _**insane** with his excitement over having a date tomorrow night. He kept going on and on like a thirteen year old with a crush. What should I wear, where should I take her, should I say this or that? Hey Raven, how sexy do I look in this… She was grateful that he had finally given up his pursuit of her, but she didn't want to hear about the girl he was dating. She didn't want to hear about anyone dating, actually. Robin and Starfire were together, Gar had some mystery lady, and Cyborg well…had his car. And who did Raven have? No one. Partly by choice, but mostly due to the fact that emotions and her didn't get along. No, she would walk a lonely road to keep everyone else safe and happy. Someone had to be alone. Right? _

A gust of wind whipped past her, and Raven pulled her jacket closer around herself as she walked to the small Chinese restaurant. She had left the tower in an annoyed hurry, grabbing the first form of outwear she saw on her way to the door. It happened to be Gar's track jacket. _Why does it smell like a barnyard? Why am I even asking that, I really don't want to know_. The green and yellow neon lights of the place shown dully in the darkness, and Raven slipped inside the door.

* * *

Jinx peered down the ventilation shaft and groaned. It was so narrow that she wouldn't be able to drag any of the goods back out with her, let alone fit herself. That thing was tiny. Frustrated, she dropped the cover back on and re-latched it, giving it a kick for good measure. She wanted to slip in and out unnoticed; if she was good enough, the store owner wouldn't notice the missing goods for a few days, and with no signs or forced entry, they would look to the employees as their suspects. _Dance, puppets, dance_, she chuckled under her breath.

"Let's see, there has to be another way to do this…hmm" she glanced around the roof for any other way to get into the building. Her gaze stopped on an aluminum corner of the roof. Upon further inspection, Jinx found it to be a cover to an old trap door that probably led to the attic or crawlspace of the building where the electrical and utility lines ran. She pushed away gravel and leaves from the door and pulled out her lock pick. A few moments later she had jimmied the old bolt lock and heaved the door up and open with a rusty groan.

"Oh… Perfect." She smiled wickedly, peering down into the hole. It dropped into a crawlspace, but she could see from a missing ceiling tile that there was nothing stopping her from slipping right into the store.

* * *

"I'm here for pick up," Raven said politely to the elderly Asian woman working the register.

"Oh kah, what name?" she replied in choppy English, smiling above the glasses resting low on the bridge of her nose.

"Uhm…Jose Cuervo…" Raven inwardly cursed Gar for being a childish idiot. The woman didn't seem to care, and just looked back and picked up two bags from the waiting shelf and rang up the price.

"Hey, I know you! You live in the tower," the old woman grinned. "Getting dinner for the Titans?"

"We have to eat too," she produced a small smile. After paying, she took a bag in each hand and headed for the door.

"Be careful out there, weather is bad tonight, eh?" The woman smiled and waved. Raven nodded and walked back out into the gloom.

* * *

Jinx smirked. One camera was vigilantly watching the register. One. A quick flick of the wrist and a flash of pink shorted out the device before she looked around the electronic store. "So many things for the taking…what to choose, what to choose…" She mocked indecision as she pulled out two black nylon bags from inside her coat and opened them, setting them on a table. She walked over to the shelf behind the counter and pulled off an entire row of boxes that held MP3 players, memory disks, and digital cameras. She packed one bag and zipped it shut, then returned to the shelf and pulled the next row forward so that no one would know that anything was missing…for the moment.

Suddenly a horrible meowing noise sounded out in the stillness. Jinx jerked around and stumbled with a box, spilling memory cards across the floor. She glared at a black cat clock hanging on the far wall; its eyes moved back and forth as it alerted that the time was nine pm. She mumbled expletives under her breath while scrambling to pick up her wayward goods before she returned to her plundering.

When both of her bags could hold nothing more, she was satisfied with her catch. Jinx shoved the two bags up through the ceiling and took one last look around the store to be sure nothing seemed out of place.

A rack of gourmet suckers caught her attention, and she grinned evilly. "I'm such a sucker for suckers," she scampered over and plucked a bubblegum flavored one from its wooden holder, taking her time removing the plastic wrapping before shoving the sweet candy in her mouth as she settled down on the counter. This heist was one of several solo missions she had recently set off on. It was easier to talk yourself into something when you didn't have a team of unorganized idiots holding you back. Not that she didn't appreciate the guys; they were her friends. She just had a feeling they wouldn't take her new idea very well. The idea being she was retiring. Gradually. It was a process. They didn't have the patch for this sort of thing. Just prison.

With a smirk she pulled herself up through the missing ceiling tile and pushed her bags out onto the roof. Careful not to disturb the surrounding tiles, Jinx gently lowered the aluminum door and re-locked it, scattering leaves and gravel back over her trail.

"Ah…Always easier on my own." She took one bag in each hand and peered over the back of the store, looking for a good place to get down. A rusty fire escape and a thirty foot drop were her choices. Well, those or risking the dog again. She nudged the stairs with one foot and decided against taking them. Instead, she took both bags in one hand and slid down a steel drain pipe, crashing down to the ground considerably faster than expected.

"…Oww," she looked down at the brush burn on her hand and the impending bleeding that made its way to the surface of her skin. Jinx plucked a bit of gravel out of her palm, then picked up her bags and sprinted off down the alley.

* * *

Raven shivered as she turned the corner and a blast of cold, misty air smacked her in the face. _Damn global warming, it's never this cold in California__…why doesn't Vic__ trust me with his car? _She mumbled as she continued on down the dark, deserted street. After a few more blocks, she turned left down an alley; a favorite shortcut. Only this time, she didn't expect to slam into the body of another person. _I wonder if it's ever going to actually rain or-_

The two girls collided and fell backwards, dropping their bags and rubbing their foreheads in frustration.

"Oww, jesus! Watch where you're…" Jinx stared into purple eyes and the already sparse color of her face drained even more. She scrambled backwards on her butt, dragging her bags. Raven, it was Raven. What was she doing there, and in civilian clothes? The feline blinked, eyeing the clothing again with a slight smirk. _Definite guy jacket, probably the green __one'__s__; d__ark, wet street pants, __Newbalance__ flats…__cute__. Much more becoming than that uniform...she looks cold, though..._

Raven stared at Jinx in a daze. The other girl looked as if she had seen a ghost. The end of what appeared to be a sucker drooped from the corner of her mouth, which was slightly ajar as her pink cat eyes stared back at her. Her trademark hair was a little limp from the humidity, and her cheeks were flushed as if she had been running. A little bit of soot dusted the side of her forehead. She wore a black nylon jacket and dark cargo pants. On her feet in place of her normal boots was a pair of black Converses, which were soaking wet. The shocked look quickly vanished, replaced with an amused, borderline mischievous look on her face that brought Raven to pause.

_She looks…__uhm_ Raven raised a brow at her own thoughts, but quickly dismissed them. The likelihood of running into Jinx at that very moment caused her to immediately question what the pale girl was doing. Her gaze dropped to the two bags that Jinx was pulling close to herself, and Raven looked back up and glared. "I think it's safe to assume that you aren't just innocently walking down the street."

The sorceress blinked, eyeing the dark woman up and down again in thought. "…I could say the same thing to you," she calmly replied, playing with the blue sucker in her mouth.

"I have Chinese food. Why do you look like you just robbed a convenient store?" Raven replied with a tired sigh.

"No need to be rude," Jinx stood with her bags. "I thought you'd think a little more highly of me. I'm way above robbing the quickie mart. It smells funny in there."

"Mmmhmm…" Raven looked down at the bags again.

"You can't just assume I've committed a crime because you bumped into me," Jinx murmured. She didn't want to fight. The heist was going so well up until now. She had to play it smart if she was going to make it home with her loot unscathed.

"You really want me to believe you, Jinx?" Raven almost whispered.

The thief gave a pathetic little shrug, smiling coyly. "Maybe."

Raven grew silent. She really wasn't in the mood to fight. She was cold, hungry, and tired. Jinx looked the same. A clash of thunder sounded out in the night, and the skies opened up, pouring rain down upon the city.

"Great," they both mumbled. Jinx smiled a little, and Raven shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you cold?" the thief quietly asked.

"I'm fine."

"You're always fine, aren't you…" Jinx drawled, raising one brow. "It's thirty-five degrees out here and you're standing there in thin little jacket, soaked to the skin, telling me you're not cold. Some would say stoic, but that's pronounced 'stubborn.'"

"My, aren't we clever."

"When it suits me…" Jinx replied playfully as the realization of holding a conversation with Raven sunk in. What the hell were they doing? Whatever it was, it was rather…enjoyable. "I'm just full of surprises."

"I'm well aware, Jinx," Raven almost smiled.

The sorceress did a double take, still not entirely certain she saw the finite expression or not. "You have a nice smile, I bet," Jinx shifted from foot to foot.

An awkward silence fell. Nothing but the heavy drumming of raindrops on the corrugated steel roofs around them and the whisper of the wind down the alley. The two pale girls just stared at one another. Jinx smiled. Raven looked so cute with that uncomfortable look on her normally guarded face. _Wait, wait__. Back up. __C__ute?__Really?_ She looked again. _Yep. R__eally__ cute__…__h__mm__m…_Jinx shook her head. _Well that's…__unexpected_, she suddenly grinned. She really was full of surprises.

"Mmmk, then. Carry on, I'm going home before I freeze to death," The pink sorceress walked forward and past Raven, disappearing in the night.

Raven peered around the corner with a frown on her face. _Why am I letting her go when she obviously has stolen goods? _She shivered, turning to look back at the spot were Jinx last stood. For a strange, long moment, Raven oddly missed the other girl's presence. She blinked, _I miss her?_ The empath picked up the food, slowly heading down the alley, lost in thought.

_

* * *

Why did she let me go?_ Jinx thought as she slowed her pace. She was confident that the Psion wasn't following her and to be honest, she was exhausted. She ducked down a dark street and scrambled up the iron steps to a black, chipped door. She shoved her key into the lock and almost fell into her apartment. Slamming and locking the door, Jinx slid down onto her leather sofa with a sigh.

"I'm home," she mumbled to the empty flat. She stared at the two bags of stolen electronics on her grey carpet. A crystal drop of rain water slid down her forehead and dripped off her brow; she watched it fall onto her arm, splashing across the waterproofing on her jacket. _Hmm. Rain_. She didn't care that she was probably ruining the leather.

Her mind was too preoccupied with the little run-in with Raven. It sparked memories here and there from her past encounters with the dark Titan, how the two always ended up paired together in opposition. They rarely sustained any damage as they blocked and parried both physical and magical attacks. In fact, their fights were much more a mental game, at least for Jinx. As soon as the Titans would show up to thwart her team's plans, she'd have to admit to smiling. Smiling as that cloaked mystery headed straight for her. They'd exchange the occasional words, always wit filled and almost playful…

"Okay, so I respect her," Jinx stood, shrugging out of her jacket. "We respect each other…" she hung the damp coat over the back of a chair. "Why did she let me go…" the lithe woman yanked the curtains aside and stared out into the gloomy night. What was most bothering about the entire situation was that she left…she wished she was still standing in the rain with Raven.

Shivers raced across her skin and she decided it might be intelligent if she took a shower and got into some dry clothes. Might help to clear her head too. With a sigh, she walked into the bedroom, grabbed a towel and continued on to the small connected bathroom. Bright, pink eyes look at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was a little dirty and flushed from the cold. Her hair was droopy and lopsided, and only the stick of the bubblegum sucker remained in her mouth. She smiled and gnawed on the plastic stick, rubbing at the soot on her temple as the water warmed up.

_I wonder if Raven made it home__…__ What am I talking __about,__ of course she made it home. She's Raven, after all. Mysterious, elusively __striking__ Raven…__wait__. I need to stop thinking these things…_Jinx rubbed her eyes, peeled off her wet clothes, and hopped into the shower. _I mean, she's Raven...right? What does that even mean...I want to find out._

* * *

I hope you guys enjoy the new, re-written Violently Happy...

Khaleda


	2. Brief Moment

**Violently Happy**

**Chapter two: Brief Moment**

Raven quietly entered the front door of the tower, slamming the massive door shut against the howling wind that blew against the entrance. With an internal sigh and soaked to the skin, she left a trail of little drips and puddles as she slowly proceeded to the kitchen where the team awaited her return. _What is wrong with me? Why am I even thinking about Jinx? Why do I have these weird feeling, why do I even have feelings for her at all?_ Raven furrowed her brow and walked through the double doors into the large living and dining room where the team spent most of their time.

"All right, it's about time Rav…" Robin trailed off as he noticed that the girl was drenched. "You went outside like that? Raven, you're going to get sick! Look at you, you're soaking wet and shivering!"

Raven rolled her eyes. Sure, she was a little cold, but she was alright. "I'm fine, _mother_. Let's just eat," she grumbled as she peeled off Gar's coat and shivered again

"What the hell, Raven? That thing's not supposed to get wet!" Beast Boy scooped up the track jacket and shook it vigorously with a scowl.

Starfire quickly set the table as everyone sat down. Cyborg grabbed a few containers and distributed the food around the table to his hungry team mates.

"Who wants some of this Mongolian beef?" the metal human bellowed.

"Dude, that's just gross." Beast Boy made the gagging sign and grabbed a box that had some vegetable lo mein in it. "Now this is what I'm talking about."

"Yeah, whatever B. Here you are Raven, some nice chicken fried rice for our lovely little empath. And might I say that we appreciate yougoing out in the cold rainy weather to get it for us…" Cyborg smiled over-enthusiastically and slid a plateful of steaming food over to the dark girl at the end of the table.

_Why didn't you let me use the car? I could have avoided getting wet, gotten back faster, and avoided running into that bloody girl that I can't stop thinking about,_ Raven glared at the plate as it slid to a halt in front of her.

Robin looked around at all the food for something that looked good. "Hey, Starfire, can you pass that shrimp fried rice?"

"Why certainly," she grinned and handed the carton over.

Raven just stared at her plate. After a few bites she seemed to lose her appetite. _Nothing happened. We bumped into each other, she looked guilty as hell, strangely attractive... Goddess, why can't I stop thinking about that stupid girl?_

"Raven, are you sure you're okay? You look…somewhat distracted." Starfire asked after she took a drink of some questionable substance. Raven zoned back in just in time to prevent something nearby from exploding.

"Uh, yeah. Yes I'm fine. Just a little tired. I think I'm going to go lay down," She quietly replied as she picked up her plate and put it in the fridge. The other four stared at Raven as she slowly walked up the stairs and out the door.

"Umm, am I the only one that thinks Raven seems a little off?" Beast Boy looked around the table.

"She might have gotten a chill or something wandering outside on a night like this. Cyborg, why didn't you give her the car to take?"

"It's still not fixed," Cyborg took a chug of his pop.

"What's wrong with it? I thought it was fine."

"Well, I didn't put the final coat of clear coat on her, and she can't get wet…" he stared down at his food, suddenly feeling a little guilty about the whole thing.

"That's wonderful," Robin shook his head.

"I shall make her some tea, perhaps that will make her feel better," Starfire jumped up and went to the shelves to find Raven's tea bags and mug.

* * *

Dressed in P.J.s and with her infamous hair back in its horns, Jinx sat at her old wooden table in the kitchen/dining room with her newly acquired items. She unzipped one of the bags and began removing and sorting all the things she had stolen into piles that she would then give to a guy she knew in return for a large sum of money. She smiled happily as she counted off about three thousand dollars worth of merchandise. "Sweeeeeet. This calls for celebration. I got some Bacardi…" Jinx trailed off as she remembered that no one was around to celebrate with her. "This is slightly depressing. I wonder if Rav-no! What am I thinking?" Jinx stood and began pacing.

"All right Jinx, let's look at all of this and figure out what the hell's going on." She talked to herself out loud, turning and continued pacing. "I'm a thief. I steal things that don't belong to me and get money for it. I'm single and live alone. I am also…lonely. Raven is a crime fighter. She brings down criminals just because she feels it is the right thing to do. She lives in a big T with four other crime fighters and I can assume that she is also single. Mainly because I want to think that-" Jinx ran her hands through her hair and growled.

"My gods, I don't even know her!" Jinx sighed and walked to her fridge to get a can of Mountain Dew. She stared at the wall as she opened the can and thought for a moment before tilting her head back and draining the entire can in a few seconds. "Maybe this isn't as bad as I think it is. The fact that she is a girl doesn't bother me, or the fact that she is on the other side of the law. But, I can't help but wonder if she has feelings, if any, for me." She crushed the can in her hand and dropped it in the garbage. _Raven did seem a little affected by the moment_.

* * *

Raven entered her room and went straight to the closet to get some clothes so she could take a hot shower. The rainwater had dried on her skin and she felt filmy and dirty. _Stupid acidic polluted rain_. She went back out into the hallway and slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her_. I need to clear my head of this 'feeling' and get on with my life_. Raven frowned as she turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm up. She gazed at her reflection in the large bathroom mirror and stared directly into her own violet-blue eyes.

"You can't have feelings for someone. Especially a criminal. Everyone will freak out because you have feelings for someone, they are a criminal, and female. You need to stop this foolish teenage crush on some girl that you don't even know but have thrown in jail a half dozen times. This whole situation should seem a little odd to you," she raised an eyebrow at herself. _But it doesn't seem that odd, I am rather, intrigued_. She growled in frustration and one of the lights became encased in her black power, threatening to be smashed. Raven bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes, calming herself down almost instantly and saving the light bulb from its previous dilemma. _I have gotten better at controlling my emotional outbursts._ She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked back into the reflective glass.

"Besides, who's to say that Jinx even thinks about you as anything more than an inconvenience to her criminal activity. There. I said it, now let's move on." Raven slipped off her uniform and stepped into the hot water. _But I don't want to stop thinking about her… _

Jinx sat by the window in her living room, staring out at the storm; the storm that continued to remind her of Raven. The rain pelted the roof, like little echoes in their own modest symphony. She looked away from the window and frowned. _She always looks so indifferent and glares at everything…I doubt she's ever thought anything about me. But she's so smart…which only makes me think there is more to her. Makes me want to get to know her even more._

A clash of thunder startled Jinx from her train of thought, and she looked to see the flash of lightning light up the sky. In the distance for an ever brief moment, the Tower came into view. "I need to see her again." She jumped up and skidded to a stop next to the table, grabbing the communicator and typing in a code.

"Uh, this is Mammoth," a big face filled the screen.

"I need a favor," Jinxed grinned.

* * *

Raven sighed happily as she dried her hair in the bathroom. She felt refreshed and clean. _Ahh…back to normal. No more foolish thoughts about someone I dare not name_. She pulled on, clean silk pajama bottoms and a tank top, giving one last look at her face in the foggy mirror before dropping her towel in the hamper and opening the door. She was met with a smiling, orange alien face.

"Friend, I brought you tea to sooth your soul, as per the statement on the box of tea bags…" Starfire thought for a moment, but then just continued smiling and brought the mug up to Raven's face. "It is quite tasty and will prevent you from getting the chills or other such earthy ailments."

"Uh, thank you Star," Raven hesitantly took the black mug and took a sip of the steaming liquid. _Wow, and it tastes normal_. Raven smiled.

Starfire grinned happily. "You are most welcome. Now, you should go rest in your room, I do not wish for any of my friends to get sick. Go on, off to bed," she gave the psion a push in the right direction and then turned to leave.

"Goodnight," Raven quietly smiled behind her mug, and she heard Starfire's 'you too' from down the darkening hallway. Raven slipped into her room and settled down on the bed with her mug of tea and a notebook that she often doodled or wrote in out of boredom, frustration, anger, or all of the above…Either way, it is a great way for her to let things out without damaging anything in her room. Usually. Raven took a sip and began to write:

_I have been doing much better at controlling myself recently. I might even dare to say that I have been doing damn well at it. The others seem to have notice, and appear quite pleased. I am also pleased. Although…I am also confused. That brief moment with Jinx in the alley. Something…something strange happened. I can't explain. Some strange emotion I can't seem to shake. Why has she gotten under my skin? I've never been so distracted in my entire life. _

Raven frowned, took another sip of tea, and looked out the window at the rainy night. For a long while she sat, stared, thought about how quickly she'd been consumed in this obsession with Jinx. _I need to see her again_. She stood and walked back out into the hallway and down to the kitchen to put her mug in the sink.

* * *

Jinx cursed loudly as the wind and rain whipped at her as she scaled the side of the tower. _I must be insane, this is suicide! Climbing the building of the people that throw me in jail_. _Jesus_. Mammoth had lent her a grappling and climbing rig to get her to the top of the tower where her little infatuation resides. Of course she didn't tell him 'why' she needed it, and he didn't ask.

"Jesus, Raven. Why'd you have to have the top floor?" A gust of wind blew the sorcerers hood off and icy rain stung at the back of her neck as she continued to climb to the summit. _Stupid, stupid. You're going to get yourself killed…either by falling or from pure raging hatred from the occupant of the room you're trying to find. _She shivered and climbed up higher and higher until she had finally reached her destination.

With a victorious grin, Jinx dug her fingers into a seam in the metal and glass and pried the window open ever so slowly. As soon as there was enough room, she squeezed in and happily felt the warm and intoxicating scent of what she hoped was Raven's room. But after a moment, she realized the scent was not so sweet, and unless Raven had a bunk bed and boys clothing scattered all over, she was in the wrong room.

"Aww shit. Dear lord what is that horrid smell!?" Jinx closed the window and tiptoed around a pile of festering socks and old magazines. _This has got to be Beast Boy's room. Where the hell am I?_ She thought, trying to remember the layout of the tower from the time she was inside. A knot was beginning to form in her stomach as she cracked open the door and peered into the hallway. _Gods this was stupid, I shouldn't have come. But there's no turning back now. Gotta find Raven's room…_

With the coast clear, she stepped out and closed the door behind her, noting the name written on the door in block letters: Beast Boy. "Well, then this shouldn't be too hard," Jinx scurried down to the darker end of the hallway, figuring that might be a good place to look for a gothic girl's room. Sure enough, at the end of the hallway was a silver door with the five letters of the name of Jinx's fascination. _Bingo. Let's hope she's home_. But as Jinx closed in, a thought occurred_. What will Raven think if I just waltz into her bedroom? That's kinda…weird. _

Footsteps ripped Jinx from her thoughts and she entered a state of wide-eyed panic. She looked left and right down long hallways and decided on chancing Raven's room. She slipped into the blackness, silently shutting the door behind her. _Wow_. The sight of Raven's sanctuary once again caused her to smile. While Raven was dark, she did have good taste in decoration. _Perhaps not in clothing but…to each her own I guess…Oh damn, I think that's Raven coming! What do I do…what do I do?_ In a split second decision, she vaulted over the bed and hid in Raven's large flowing purple curtains just as the door slid open.

Raven floated down the hall back towards her room. _Maybe I should go and find her-what the hell is that on the floor?_ Raven stopped and stared at wet footprints leading from Beast Boy's room down the hall. _Oh, he had better not…wait. Beast Boy was downstairs. Oh god, someone's in the tower_. Raven silently followed the fading prints until she stopped dead. _They go into my room. **My** room_. She growled and slid open the door.

Light poured into the dark room and with a wave of her hand, Raven lit several candles and lights around the room. She searched for anything out of place, visually cataloguing all her possessions still untouched. Jinx peered out from the curtains at the expression on the dark girl's face and instantly regretted coming for the third time that night. _Oh my god. I'm dead_.

"Who's in here?" Raven hissed. When no one replied, she advanced into her room and traveled to the window. She looked at the glass and the carpet and decided that whoever entered her room was still inside. _And they are going to regret this night…_she growled and snapped her attention to a slight noise coming from one of her curtains. _Oh, I have you now…_Raven grabbed the fabric curtains and ripped them away. Frightened pink eyes met her enraged violet orbs.

For the second time that night, the two did nothing but stare at one another. _Jinx…wha-why is Jinx in my room? It's rather…ironic…and a little weird…_

_She hasn't killed me yet…that's a good sign…unless she prefers slow torture, then I'm totally fucked_. Jinx felt the wall against her back. She was a cornered cat staring at one very angry and confused bird. That knot in her stomach grew even tighter. _Please, please have some feelings for me. Or mercy. Either or…please…_

Raven felt a wave of strange feelings wash over her. Sure, she was pissed. But, suddenly she felt happy that this girl had appeared in her room. And she was picking up some rather interesting emotions off of Jinx, which only added to her confusion. _Jinx…likes me. …What do I do? Come on, pull yourself together. Say something_. Luckily Jinx finally spoke up.

"I, uh…yeah." The sorceress bit her lip.

_My goddess does she look cute. Maybe I should hear her out, there has to be some reason she snuck into my room_. Raven shifted a step away from Jinx, causing the girl to visibly relax a little. "What are you doing here?"

"It's not what you think-"

"Not what I think? You're a thief. You snuck into the tower and were hiding in my room. What am I suppose to think?" Raven frowned.

"I'm not here to cause trouble, or steal anything. Why do you think I came alone?" Jinx slid along the wall a little bit but was still stuck between Raven, the corner, and the bed.

"Then why are you here, Jinx?" Raven asked quietly and raised a curious brow.

"I, I just…wanted to see something."

"Oh? Enlighten me."

"You know when we bumped into each other earlier? Well, I just had this really weird feeling…"

Raven tilted her head to the side and looked into Jinx's eyes. _She really is as confused as I am_. "I…felt it too."

Jinx's eyes lit up and her expression brightened. "You did? I-I mean, what do you think of it? What's wrong with us?"

"Not sure, really." Raven lied. _I'm just not ready to say anything yet._

"Well, I just wanted to see if I was the only one who felt something. I'll just leave now," Jinx looked to the door, then to the window, then back to Raven. "Which way do you suggest?"

"You came in through Beast Boys room, did you get lost?" Raven watched the other girl contently.

"Uhm…yeah." Jinx nervously scratched the back of her neck. "I thought it was your room. But when I smelt whatever _that_ was, I knew it had to be a guy's room. That and all the clothes and dirty magazines…"

Raven held back a laugh. "Well, you had better go out the same way you came in. I'm guessing you had a rope of some sort. Unless you grow wings and fly I don't suggest leaping from my window."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jinx allowed a smile as she jumped over the bed and headed for the door. She came to a skidding stop as Raven materialized in front of her. "Whoa, what?"

"Aside from coming here to see what's going on between us, what the _hell_ were you thinking? What, I mean, you just broke into our home. I should do something about it, call the others and have you thrown in jail…" Raven trailed off as a pair of lips pressed gently against hers.

The kiss was simple and quick, a mere meeting of the lips for but a brief moment or two, but the damage was done. Raven just stood there, every thought, every feeling flung from her mind. Only their lips mattered at that moment. Jinx pulled back and grinned at the expression on Raven's face before slipping past her and down the hall with a little chuckle. Raven brought her fingers to her lips, the memory of the warm tingle quickly fading. Her lips curled up into a smile as she peered out the door and watched Jinx sneak back into Beast Boy's room. _I, uhm. Wow._

_You kissed her, why did you kiss her? Are you crazy?...But it felt so good, and she didn't seem too upset about it either_… Jinx argued with herself as she zipped down the side of the building. She grinned up at the top of the tower as she quickly packed the gear before dashing off with excitement. She'd just kissed Raven. And it was amazing.

* * *

Sorry this took so long guys... I moved across the country and the got tied up with work and life... I will try and post the original work after this chapter if I have time. Otherwise, look for chapter three sometime this weekend.

Khaleda

7/11/08


	3. Bad Luck

**Chapter Three: Bad Luck**

Raven furrowed her brow and slid the door shut, traveling slowly across her room to her bed. _She kissed me. Jinx kissed me. I-I don't know what to make of it_. Raven ran her fingers through her hair and stared at the ceiling. _This is stupid. I am acting stupid. Goddess, get a hold of yourself, Raven_. She lets out an exasperated growl and rolled off her bed, heading to her window.

Little streams of rain water traveled idly down the glass; the turbulent ocean waves crashed on the shore below. Part of Raven knew that she should be angry with what Jinx had done. That it was a big mistake for either of them to have cross paths in the alley. That is was stupid of Raven to not have apprehended the thief, which Jinx is. The other part said that she should just go with it, have fun. _Fun…right. _Raven shook her head and stared off at the gloomy distance. _Jinx, what were you thinking…_

A sudden rapping at the door ripped Raven from her thoughts.

"Hey Raven…is everything okay? There are wet footprints leading from my room to yours…" Beast Boy's muffled concern asked through the door.

Raven panicked. What was she suppose to say? 'Oh, this girl snuck in to see me?' Even better, 'Jinx stopped by for a chat?' She bit her lip and floated over to the door, cracking it open a sliver.

"Someone broke in."

"What?! Wha-why didn't the alarm go off, why didn't you tell us?" He slipped his fingers in the crack and opened the door further. "Are you alright? Did you see them, I mean, when did this happen?" He looked Raven up and down for signs of harm, glancing around her room for damage.

Raven narrowed her eyes and got the boy's attention with shove. She walked out into the hallway, shutting her door behind her. "Calm down, Gar. I'm fine. I just noticed the foot prints and have been looking around to see if anything's been stolen," she lied coolly.

"Well, I'll go get Cyborg and Robin updated," he sprinted off down the hall. Raven's stomach was doing back flips. Not how she planned this night to go. Not at all…

* * *

Jinx dragged a black inflatable raft up on the rocky shore, taking cover behind a large outcropping while she deflated her little vessel. She glanced thoughtfully at the looming structure in the distance, shrouded in darkness and rain. It made her smile for some reason. Or perhaps, it was because a certain girl was probably staring out her window at the stormy night. _Yeah, probably that_, Jinx smirked. She rolled up the raft and slipped it in a bag, slinging it over her shoulder before disappearing into the night.

With a slam of her door, Jinx collapsed on her couch for the second time that night, soaking wet. "This thing is going to smell like ass soon," she shrugged and shook her head, spraying droplets of water everywhere. A look at her reflection in her idle television spoke words for the condition of her hair. If it wasn't shocking normally, it certainly was now. She grinned and yanked the black ties from her hair, running her fingers through the mess, only making it worse. With another shrug, she pulled off her coat and boots, flinging them aside as she made her way to the kitchen.

"Let's see…food," she opened the fridge to find its contents no more pleasing than the last time she peered in. Her supply of Mountain Dew was sufficient, but aside from that, a jar of pickles, an empty carton of Chinese food, and an apple were the only identifiable objects. A few containers looked rather…alive. "Being on the go does have its disadvantages…" she shook her head and dragged her garbage can over, throwing out everything that was no longer edible while munching on the tasty, sour green apple.

"You kissed her…why did you kiss her…" she murmured, trying not to smile. Why was she so giddy all of a sudden? She had given into that urge, that itch that could never quite be scratched. Like every heist she planned, every risk she took…spontaneity was a code she lived by. She had this driving urge to do things, now.

A quick trip to the bathroom and Jinx emerged with her hair back to normal. She slipped her wet coat back on before grabbing her goods, the garbage and then locked the door behind her.

"Hey there cutie, going out tonight?" A scruffy college guy leaned against the wall near the dumpster. He wore a tattered leather jacket with a baggy black shirt underneath, blue jeans that hung too low, and basketball shoes adorned his feet. His hair was brown, short and messy; his eyes the color of honey. A lit cigarette hung lazily from his lips.

Jinx rolled her eyes. "Not that it's any of your business, Eric, but yes, I am going out." Jinx didn't care too much for her neighbors insistent flirting, but the boy didn't seem to ever get the hint. She threw the garbage in the dumpster and continued on her way down the alley.

"You sure you don't want company? There are a lot of freaks out there," he called.

"I can take care of myself. You should stop smoking, it isn't very becoming." She replied back over her shoulder. He smiled at the vanishing girl and put out his cigarette on the dumpster. With a shake of his head, he sighed and headed back to his apartment.

* * *

Raven nervously stood in the hallway as Robin scanned the rooms for clues. _Why am I nervous? Nothing is going to happen. Calm down, you'll be fine. Yes. I am fine. Fine_. Raven relaxed a little and watched as Beast Boy looked at the foot prints through a magnifying glass.

"Hmm…just as I thought!" He exclaimed.

"What did you think, Beast Boy?" Starfire loomed over him as he hunched over the muddy carpet.

"These aren't any of our foot prints." He grinned.

"You took that long to deduce that on your own? I could have told you that when I first saw them, genius," Raven shook her head.

"Hey, I wasn't done! Geez…I was going to say that they look like boots of some sort. Maybe work boots or like, dress boots. I don't know, maybe the kind of stuff girls wear."

_Wow. That's impressive. He actually figured something out…I should give him more credit, he's not stupid._ Raven gave him a nod and walked down to where Cyborg was checking the alarm system.

"I'm not getting much of anything. The storm covered the cameras with a lot of rain and it distorts the images. But even then, I don't see anything that might show someone breaking in," Cyborg scratched his head. "This one camera is crackling, might be a loose connection, but who knows."

"Mind if I check on some stuff?" Raven pointed to an empty computer station next to Cyborg.

"Be my guest, check the window security while you are at it, I'm going to go see what's wrong with that one camera," He pushed up out of his chair and headed out with a tray of tools.

Raven opened up the security system and started searching for anything out of the ordinary. _Sneaky girl…how did you bypass the security?_ Raven's fingers ate up the keyboard as she typed in code after code, searching for breeches or bypasses. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, it didn't make sense. _Our windows don't open without the computer recognizing it…_ Raven flipped open her communicator. A few seconds later Robin's face appeared on the screen.

"What's up, Raven?"

"I need you to check something. Go into my room and open the window."

"Uhm…okay?" He seemed a little uncomfortable, but Raven saw the background change and soon he was in her room and opening the window.

The computer ran as the window opened, set off the trigger, recognized the action and recorded the sequence_. Just as I thought_. "Okay, now go open Gar's."

"Okay, but, what are you doing, Raven?" Robin asked as he stepped over the dirty clothes and opened Beast Boy's window.

"Is it open yet?"

"Yes. Anything?"

"Hm. Weird. Nothing. No computer recognition. Something is wrong with his window. Does anything look out of the ordinary?" Raven looked over the computer before rubbing her temple.

Robin set down the communicator and Raven heard him rummaging and pushing something. He started to laugh but it turned into an irritated sigh. His face filled the screen a moment later. "It might be due to the fact that some sort of cola product has eroded the wires around his window…" Raven saw Gar with a sheepish grin in the back ground before Robin shut off the communicator.

_Oh Beast Boy…_Raven shook her head. So, it seemed that Jinx just had the luck of the draw. By accidentally going in the wrong window, she avoided leaving a trail. _She did that in the hallway…_ Raven, a little relieved that no image or evidence related to Jinx was found, logged off the computer and headed to her room. As she did, she passed Cyborg.

"Any luck with the camera?" She asked.

"It was just a loose wire. Nothing to worry about. It wasn't pointed towards BB's window anyway, so it wouldn't have seen anyone climbing up."

_Again with the luck. Jinx found a blind spot in the security, and on accident. This is all too weird_. She slipped into her room and shut the door, heading to the open window. Raven stuck her head out and looked around. It was a steep, featureless wall to climb; the rain was pouring, the wind was whipping across the steel; it was so very cold. Yet Jinx climbed it to come see her. Raven frowned and shut the window.

* * *

Jinx pulled her wet jacket closer around her as the wind blew through the wet fabric. _Brrr… should have changed jackets…_A glowing clock in the window of a closed shop read 11:46, and Jinx turned down a dark alley. Relieved to get a short reprieve from the wind, she adjusted her grip on the nylon bags and dodged some sleeping homeless men before walking back out into the storm. She saw three guys huddling on the corner, sharing a cigarette. They stared at her with predatory eyes. Jinx glared at them and continued on her way.

"What's a little kitten like you doing in a place like this?" One of the men hissed, stepping out in front, blocking her way.

"What's a moron like you still doing breathing? I'd a thought natural selection would have caught up with you by now…" Jinx stepped around him and kept going.

The two other guys laughed at their friend, who only growled and grabbed Jinx by the shoulder. "You got quite a mouth for such a scrawny little bitch--"

In a split second, the man was hit with a pink flash and slammed against the wall, the back of his head making a sickening thud as it met the brick. His buddies lunged forward.

"How about you back the fuck off," Jinx spat, glaring at the other two in mid-step. They froze, staring in fear at the glowing pink hand pointed in their direction. Jinx turned to the man slumped against the wall as she crouched down and picked up her bags. She whispered to him as she stood. "What did we learn…" before she continued down the road.

_Sometimes I wish Luke didn't live in this shithole section of town_. She shook her head and came to a stop in front of a dinghy, closed down jewelry store. She knocked on the barred door and waited.

"Whad'ya want?" came a deep, male voice from behind the door.

"I'm here to see a guy," Jinx replied, looking over her shoulder as she heard numerous locks being undone. The door creaked open on its rusty hinges and she slipped inside before it was slammed shut. Jinx was greeted by an extremely large man wearing a wife beater, black pants and a large tacky gold chain around his thick neck. He looked at her with beady eyes.

"You here to see Luke?" He grunted, crossing his massive arms across his chest.

"That I am," Jinx grinned, gesturing to the two bags in her hands. The man stepped aside and allowed her to pass on by. Jinx turned left down a hallway and down a flight of stairs to another door. She rolled her eyes, knowing all too well that Luke wanted to use a childish password to get in. She knocked and waited once again. An eye slot grinded open and a pair of startling green eyes peered out.

"Well, well. What have we here?" A suave voice to go with the amazing eyes.

"Hi, Luke. May I come in?" Jinx asked with a smile.

"Ah, but of course…after you tell me the password."

Jinx looked away to hide her eye rolling before responding. "Meow."

Luke smiled to himself, shut the slot, unbolted the door and ushered the sorceress inside. The man was tall and thin, looking to be about twenty-eight. Dressed in casual black clothes, he still managed to look professional; his long black hair was pulled back in a pony tail.

"Why must you be so difficult…" Jinx shook her head and settled down at a table in the strangely charming room. Despite the decrepit state of the rest of the building, this room was nicely decorated in a contemporary style. Stainless steel furniture, soft lighting, plush carpet, and fully stocked bar adorned the back wall. Luke returned to his pool table where he was practicing his bank shots.

"Now, now Jinx, to each his own. I happen to enjoy my so-called childish games…now, what do you have for me today?" He smiled perfectly straight teeth.

"A nice score worthy of a nice reward, that's what I have for you today," Jinx pulled out the MP3 players, digital cameras, disks, and hardware, letting Luke look over the merchandise.

"Well now, I shall be the judge of that…" Luke sat across from the girl and pulled out a calculator. "Have any trouble getting here today?"

"Eh, just had a slight annoyance. Nothing worth mentioning."

"The morons on the corner? They are pissed because I called them on some fake merchandise. But hey, business is business." He typed numbers and pushed objects aside while tallying up Jinx's total.

"So how'd I do?" She smiled meekly when he wrote down a figure on a piece of paper.

"I think you will be happy with this one," Luke grinned and slid the paper over.

"Five. Wow." Jinx beamed. Five thousand dollars on her first solo job was a wonderful start. "I'm quite happy with that."

"Most excellent," Luke stood and walked over to his desk, opening a drawer. He pulled out a wad of cash, and counted out five thousand dollars in twenty's, fifty's, and hundred's. "Don't go spend it all in one place…" He placed the money in Jinx's extended hand.

"I can't thank you enough, Luke."

"Yeah, yeah. Now scram. I don't want anyone to know I have a soft spot for charming young thieves such as yourself." Luke opened the door for Jinx, and she scampered out with a grin. "Next Victim?"

* * *

Raven patiently sat at the kitchen table, sipping a mug of tea. Robin was pacing back and forth in front of the main computer station while Cyborg slaved away, updating the security systems. Beast Boy was glued to the television playing the latest RPG game for GS2. Starfire was playing with silky on the couch, giggling and smiling as the little worm baby made funny noises.

Suddenly, the calm mood was broken by the loud whine of the alarm, and all five teens snapped to attention.

"Cyborg, what's the report?" Robin's leadership qualities took over.

"A robbery in action in south side. No information on the robber," the cybernetic man read off the computer screen.

"Alright team, let's move out."

* * *

Feeling quite happy with herself, Jinx decided to take the long way home. The rain had let up some, and now there was just a fine mist in the air. She strolled down the sidewalk, her money safely held in her closed fist, buried in her coat pocket. _What should I do with this money? Hmm…perhaps fix up my apartment? Save it?_ As if on queue, her stomach let out a voracious growl, and Jinx grinned. "Of course, how could I forget that I'm starvin'!" She scanned the area and spotted a Chinese restaurant down the way. It made her think of Raven. She frowned and pulled her coat tighter around herself as she headed down the road, walking under an overpass.

* * *

John was running in terror down the road, a bag of stolen jewelry clutched to his chest. His sides were heaving, yet he kept on running; he could still hear the alarm screaming in the distance_. Why the hell did my wheels bail on me? Oh god, oh god…need to get rid of this shit._ Surely he only had a few more moments before the cops found him, or even worse; the Titans. He chanced a look over his shoulder. Flashing lights were surrounding the store, and his panic grew even more. He ducked behind a car and sprinted down the sidewalk, crossing an overpass. John, in a desperate decision, tossed the bag over the railing and continued on his dead sprint to safety. Little did he know that at the exact moment, an innocent pink-haired girl was under his ground-bound loot.

* * *

"No sign of anyone in the store," Starfire called out.

"Back is clear," Beast Boy reported on the communicator.

"No tire tracks, perp is on foot," Cyborg knelt on the ground, looking at the asphalt.

"Alright, Raven, Beast Boy, you two come with me. Cyborg and Star, you guys help clean up and figure out what's been stolen," Robin commanded. "Let's go."

Raven gazed down the road, looking for the familiar back of a fleeing suspect. The horizon was deserted. "I'd say they went that way. There are plenty of places to hide and take cover."

"Sounds good. Beast Boy, give me a lift?" Robin grinned as he watched the green teen transform into a pterodactyl, who grabbed the leader by the shoulders. The three took to the air, scanning for anyone that seemed suspicious. They approached an overpass and Robin instructed them to land.

_

* * *

_

Hmm. Kung Pow chicken sounds goo-

WHAM. Jinx was knocked to the ground by a large brown duffle bag. She lay there, dazed and confused, growing more and more irritated by the second. "What the hell? Arrgggh, my head." She sat up and rubbed the top of her skull, bringing her hand in front to see crimson blood on her finger tips. "I could have just died! What kind of idiot throws shit off an overpass like that…" she trailed off as she saw gold and emeralds scattered around her in the muddy street. _Oh god…_ Jinx had a very bad feeling that her luck was just about spent; she knew that someone was staring at her from above. She looked up and saw three of the Titans.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me."


	4. Run, Kitty, Run

**Chapter Five: Run, Kitty, Run**

Jinx felt all the blood drain from her face as she stared up at the three figures above. Her cotton candy eyes locked with blue-violet orbs. The rumble of thunder added to the tension of the mood. A crackle and groan; the skies opened up once again. _The one time I didn't do anything… Raven, I'm innocent this time…shit. What to do?_

What do you do when you are a thief and are caught with stolen goods? You run. And Jinx did just that. She dragged her gaze from Raven and stumbled up onto her feet, sprinting off down the empty road; the jewelry left strewn about in the rain.

* * *

"Jinx" Raven growled. _Why am I not surprised?_ Raven watched the fleeing girl disappear in the shadows before snatching out her communicator and barking orders into it. "The Hive Five are out there somewhere. Just saw Jinx with the stolen goods. She's on the run. Spread out and cover the area."

Robin raised a questionable brow. "Beast Boy and I can-"

"I can handle Jinx," she mumbled before fading away through the ground.

The two boys exchanged glances and stared at the spot the psion had been. "Umm, okay? Sheesh, what's her deal?" Gar shook his head.

"Knowing Raven…it could be anything. I'm heading back to search the other side of town, can you get the jewelry?" Robin waited for the changeling's nod before heading back to the scene.

Beast Boy swooped down to the ground below and began gathering the gold and silver and semi-precious stones. "Moody girls…but man, Jinx does know her stuff…" He held up a string of black pearls and whistled before putting everything back into the duffle bag. The teen furrowed his brow. "Something about this doesn't seem right. Why go to the trouble of breaking in and stealing all this only to leave it when you run? I mean, unless she didn't want the stuff, but that doesn't make sense." The green teen hoisted the bag over his shoulder and started back towards the store scratching his head.

_

* * *

_

Keep running, keep running. Don't stop

. Jinx panted as she ran deeper and deeper into the slums of South Side, hoping to disappear and escape the Titans. The rain pounded the ground and stung her eyes. The combination of trashy city life and the wetness of the rain caused a horrid stench to fill the air. Jinx leapt over a dilapidated bench, dodged a few pedestrians that were hurrying home, and turned down a long, narrow alleyway. She skidded to an almost-halt when she hit a dead end. Turning on the ball of her foot with the remaining momentum she scaled up the brick barrier. At the last second before gravity took hold of her, Jinx grasped the top of the wall, dangling from three fingers for a few tense moments. She gritted her teeth and hoisted her weight up, steadying herself atop the slippery wall. "Damn, I'm tired."

A glance down the opposite side of the wall told Jinx that it would be the death of her. Three dogs leered up at the intruder on the wall; they paced and snarled and barked. _My luck with dogs…_She sighed and looked up. Time was of the essence and she needed to either get to a safe area or home. Home was a long stretch but was preferred to the previous option. Unfortunately, while in her wild sense of panic, the sorceress had gotten a little lost in unfamiliar territory. Atop the wall, Jinx looked in the gloomy darkness with her exceptional night vision, trying to get her bearings. After a few moments where nothing looked familiar, she frowned. "Need to get up higher."

She lifted her gaze to a rusty iron ladder on the side of the building; the remnants of an ancient fire escape that disappeared up into the sky. It looked about as safe as the rides at a carnival. Unfortunately, the lower section had long since broken off; the nearest rung was just a few inches out of reach. The other building had nothing to aid Jinx in her skyward journey, and she sized up the challenge as she scooted closer to the wall. _How tall is this freakin' building?_ _If that damn thing breaks…_She whistled as she imagined herself hurting towards earth. No matter how agile or cat like, a fall like that would kill the meta-human. With no time to doubt, she crouched on her toes, calculated the distance, and leaped up. Her fingers wrapped around the metal and she struggled to get her feet on a rung.

The ladder wobbled and groaned; Jinx scrambled up and up, praying it would stay intact or that she wouldn't lose her grip on the wet bars. Half a minute went by, and the ladder continued to complain its metallic cry, but held to the wall. _Just a few more rungs_-

A loud scrape of metal on brick filled the night air as the ladder plummeted to the ground.

Pink, fear-filled eyes widened as she felt herself fall. Her stomach was in her throat. Everything seemed to stand still, like gravity wanted the girl to get the full effect of falling to her concrete-splatter death. Her lips parted, but nothing more than a whisper came out. "No…"

Then, just as suddenly as she was falling, she was suddenly not. The action knocked the breath from her, and she gasped for air, peering up to see what was happening. A familiar blackness covered her body and Jinx instantly knew what, rather, who had saved her. _Raven…_

A blue cloaked figure peered down from the roof of the abandoned skyscraper the feline was climbing. Raven concentrated as she levitated her catch in the pouring rain, rapidly bringing the girl towards the roof. Her hood hid her almost-certain anger; her outstretched hand spread out in an emotionless, threatening gesture.

Jinx was filled with a sense of relief…and dread as she traveled skywards. _What happens when I get to her?_ She struggled in her eerie bindings, only learning it was futile. Her arms and legs—whole body were almost frozen. She was at the mercy of the dark creature atop the tower. As she drew closer and closer to Raven, they locked eyes. Jinx swallowed hard. The dark girl's stare was reptilian.

* * *

Robin shook off the rain as he entered the front door of the store. Inside, Cyborg was fiddling with the video camera system, Beast Boy was sorting through the jewelry with the police, and Starfire was putting up a tarp over the smashed front window.

"Any luck with the video?" He asked Cyborg.

"Almost got it—there." A beep and some static later, a small television screen lit up and the four crowded around the picture. Cyborg fast-forwarded through hours and hours of tape.

"Friends, while this is all within the capabilities of the Hive Five, it does not seem like their work. We haven't even seen any of them, aside from Jinx. Perhaps it was someone else?" Starfire questioned.

"Yeah, and if Jinx did steal this stuff, why did she leave it all in the street like that?" Beast Boy chimed in.

"That's because she didn't do it," Cyborg announced. He turned the screen around to show a paused picture of a man in a black jacket and jeans, leaping out the broken window. "He's the guy we are looking for."

"Alright, let's give the picture to the police and let them look for the guy. It's been too long; he's not around here anymore. There's nothing more we can do. I'll tell Raven, she's still out looking for Jinx," Robin flipped out his communicator.

* * *

At last Jinx had reached the summit, and she was promptly slammed down on the roof. Her back met the cold, hard, wet concrete. In a split second she was lifted back up and slammed down once again for good measure before Raven floated over and stared down at the still bound girl gasping for breath.

"What, exactly, did you expect to accomplish by this little stunt of yours?" Raven hissed.

"I didn't steal anything!" she panted, "I was minding my own business and someone threw it off the overpass," Jinx continued to fight the hopeless battle of breaking Raven's grasp as it grew tighter and tighter.

"That sounds like bullshit to me," Raven crouched down next to the girl. "You just couldn't resist trying your luck twice in one night, could you?" Her eyes burned into Jinx's.

The sorceress growled with one last effort to break free, and then let out an exasperated sigh. "There's no point arguing with a stubborn thing like you anyway. Everything I do is wrong in your eyes. What's the fucking point?"

"You want me to believe that you are innocent, with all that evidence around you? It's twelve thirty in the morning, you are in a crime ridden section of town, were spotted with the stolen items, have a track record in theft, you ran…shall I continue?"

"Like I said, there's no point in arguing."

Raven gave her a sideways glance and stood. Something about Jinx's attitude seemed different. Almost like she knew she was innocent but had come to terms with the fact that she was probably going to go to jail regardless of anything said. The rain continued to pour and the wind whipped atop the building. Jinx started to visibly shiver.

"Why the hell are you holding me here like this?" Jinx grumbled. _Not that I'm really complaining…She looks really cute from this angle._

Raven opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the muffled sound of her communicator. She snatched it out and held down the call button. "Repeat."

Robin's face filled the screen. "Hey, we found out who the thief really is. It's not Jinx or any of the Hive. Just some guy. The police are out looking for him. I'll see you back at the tower."

Raven shut the device and stared out over the city. She could feel Jinx's smug smile from where she was standing.

"Ah…what did I say? Hm?" Jinx chuckled.

Raven growled and stormed over to the supine creature; but her eyes softened a little upon meeting with the smiling pink ones below her. For the third time this stormy night, Raven was lost in the strange depth of Jinx's pink eyes. _My goddess…she's so attractive. Stop it, Raven. Control yourself_.

Raven released her grip and the blackness vanished.

Jinx scrambled to her feet, and stood a few feet away from the other girl. The sorceress had Raven by a few inches, and she looked down at her. "What are you smiling at?"

Raven blinked. Had she been smiling? "Uhm, nothing." Raven's gaze drifted down to Jinx's lips for a few moments before she snapped out of her little daze. "Why didn't you fight back just then? You could have attacked me with your curses, but you didn't…why?"

Jinx raised a brow in surprise at the question before coming out with an answer a few moments later. "I…" A very tactful answer. She bit her lip and looked away. "What is going on between us, Raven?"

Raven's eyes grew a litter wider than usual, and also looked away. In the deserted scene of this deteriorated section of town, the two were the only patch of color in the grey and black nothing. Jinx's pink and purple, Raven's blue and violet. The rain had slowed and the wind had died down, yet the air was still dreadfully cold. Raven finally caught Jinx's gaze and replied.

"I'm not sure what's going on between us, Jinx. But for some reason I can't stop thinking about you."

Jinx cocked her head to the side and gave her version of a sideways glance. "Well that's because I'm such an interesting girl."

_You are_. Raven smiled a little.

"Whoa, did you just smile again? Did I make you laugh?" She held her hands up and slowly backed away. "You're freaking me out."

Raven glowered and Jinx only laughed. The empath found her eyes drifting down to that pair of lips again. Her smile; slightly prominent canine teeth. That way her lips curve into that sly, alluring grin…So funny, confident, graceful.

"Should we, uhm, go somewhere? I mean, I'm all for the night and rain, but it's really cold," Jinx rubbed her arms.

"Hm?" Raven looked up.

"Hey, I know I'm nice to look at but I'm wet and cold and a little tired…"

Raven felt her cheeks flush red and she was thankful that her hood covered her face. "It is a little bleak."

"Bleak. How about shitty?" Jinx smirked again, and Raven allowed a small smile.

"I guess this qualifies as 'shitty' weather."

"So…can we, uh, go?"

Raven raised a brow. _We?_


	5. Phoenix Cafe

**Chapter Five: Phoenix Cafe**

The dark titan bit her lip, not sure what she wanted to say. _We? Can we go? I don't see why not…Yes, let's go somewhere._ Why couldn't Raven open her mouth to say those simple letters? _Yes_.

Jinx raised a brow at Raven's furrowed expression. Yes, she was asking if the two of them could go somewhere, but she didn't understand why the half-demon looked so uncomfortable.

"Uhm, yeah, I didn't mean it that way. I just. I'm gonna go now," Jinx pointed her thumb over her shoulder and turned to leave.

"And how do you plan on getting down?" came the calm reply.

"The same way I…got…up. Hm." Jinx peered down at the street fifty stories below; the twisted skeletal remains of the latter lay in silent defeat. She narrowed her eyes and grumbled. "I'll find my own way." Then suddenly, Jinx remembered the reason she was in this shithole section of town to begin with, and patted her pockets, searching for the large sum of money.

"Lose something?" Raven's monotone had a slight coyness to it.

"Yeah I just…" she looked in the inside pockets of her wet jacket, "misplaced something…gods, where is it?" After a moment more of searching, an 'ahem' caught her attention. Jinx's eyes snapped up to see Raven holding her wad of cash, five thousand dollars of hard, not fairly, earned money.

Jinx advanced towards Raven the way you approach a child that's holding some fragile article. Cautiously and hopeful the child wouldn't giggle and drop it. Only, Raven was no child, certainly didn't giggle, and happened to love being spiteful. "Raven, may I have that back?" Jinx held out her hand in a pleading fashion.

Raven's expression dropped to that of slight disappointment. "Is this your score from earlier? The stuff you stole from that electronics store on Vine Street?"

Jinx just kept her eyes locked with Raven's, hoping the girl would hand over her money.

"Your silence is very reassuring…" Raven idly flipped through the bills that were growing damp from the misty night air.

"Yes, that is my money, and I worked very hard to get it. May I have it back, please?"

"My gods, did you just say please? I'm shocked," Raven's expression changed little.

Jinx's eyes began to glow pink and she took a step closer to the psion. "I don't want to fight, but if you don't give me what's mine I will more than happily take it from you."

"That's a more Jinx-worthy demand. But…" Raven slid the money into her belt and readjusted her cloak. "I'm going to hold on to this, after all, it's stolen."

Jinx growled and prepared to hurl glowing orbs at the dark bird when she abruptly thought of a better idea. Just as suddenly as her angry mood came, it vanished, leaving a strangely happy girl standing before the slightly confused Titan. Raven furrowed her brow. _What is she up to?_

"Hm. You hold onto the stolen cash and I go on my merry way…" Jinx turned and inspected the roof, looking for a way down. Raven watched in silent amusement as the girl scampered over to a rusted shut door and attempted to pull it open. When that didn't work, she struck it with her pink glowing powers. This only caused the thick steel door to warp and melt, hardening in an even more unmovable state.

"Damnit!" Jinx gave the door a kick and stormed over to the edge on the roof. _Way too far to jump, nothing sticking out to grab a hold of, no ladders, no stairs…what a shitty construction. Who the hell built this ugly scrap heap?_ She growled and ran her hands through her drooping hair, noting that her horns no longer stood up but slumped backwards in a tired fashion. "There's got to be a way down…" she mumbled to herself out loud.

Raven shook her head and turned away from the thinking sorceress. "Good luck with that. I, on the other hand, am heading home," She feigned indifference at her little crush's predicament and levitated up, preparing to leave. Just as she neared the edge of the roof…

"Wait-" Jinx clasped her hand over her mouth, angry at the sudden desperate outburst.

Raven smiled and turned to face the dripping wet feline. "Yes? Do you need help with something?"

Jinx glowered, crossing her arms over her chest. _Clever girl…two can play this game_. "That all depends. I don't think you are qualified to help someone such as myself."

"No, you're right."

Jinx raised a brow.

"You need professional psychiatric help and sadly, I don't offer such services," Raven's eyes sparkled with sarcastic delight from within the darkness of her hood.

"Oh? What services do you offer?" Jinx smirked at the trap Raven set herself up for.

"Nothing of that sort, get your mind out of the gutter, Jinx."

The pink individual raised her hands up in mock defense. "Alright, how about I get my mind out of the gutter and you and I go to this all night coffee shop in the business district?"

Raven gave a sideways glance. "An all night coffee shop?"

"That's what I said." Jinx glanced to the left and squinted in the darkness, looking at the time on the clock tower. "It's almost one a.m. now, they are still open for another three hours…" Jinx let the sentence linger, waiting to see if the bird was biting.

"Alright."

A dumbfounded look befell Jinx's face, and Raven couldn't hold back the snicker that snuck out of her mouth. "You-you will? I mean, yeah, okay…cool. So let's go."

"Let's go," Raven walked to the edge of the roof and stepped off, falling forward and swooping down before turning skywards once again. Jinx stood on the edge, watching the girl.

"As soon as you are done gloating, come here and get me down," the sorceress stated flatly, rolling her eyes.

Raven floated up in front of Jinx and stared at her. "Step up on the black platform I make-" was all she got out before the feline launched herself at Raven. The empath had but a second to process what was happening before a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, slipped down over her legs and off her completely. The sudden weight gain and loss caused Raven's control over her levitation to falter, and the two fell. Raven's eyes went wide as she watched Jinx drop further and further away. The Titan hurtled towards the ground and at the last moment grabbed the thief's flailing hand. The two swooped up just before hitting asphalt, and Raven brought them gently down to the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with you! Don't just jump and expect me to catch you like that," Raven glared. Her hood had fallen down in the process, revealing her pale complexion, slightly flushed from the sudden exertion. Jinx smirked at the sight of the flustered, cute girl who growled and started briskly walking down the road. Raven's cloak fluttered behind her in an annoyed fashion.

Jinx followed a few feet behind, a Cheshire cat smile spread across her also pale face. She tossed her wad of cash back and forth in her hands for a moment before slipping it safely into her pocket.

"So, the café's this way…" She grinned when she heard a disgruntled 'hmnp' and took the lead as they walked down the dark, deserted road.

Gar collapsed on the couch with an exaggerated sigh. "Man…" he yawned, "I wish criminals would have the decency to steal at a more Beast Boy-friendly hour. Say, noon-ish?"

Cyborg rolled his eyes and trudged over to the computer unit. "Locking down the tower for the night," he half-mumbled as he placed his large hand over the sensor pad for identification recognition.

"Have we heard from Raven yet?" Robin scratched his head as he looked around the living area for any sign of the girl's return. After remembering that Raven didn't leave many signs, he decided to check her room. Not personally, of course, but you understand…

"Hey Star? Can you check in Raven's room to see if she's back yet?"

"Of course," she smiled sleepily and the Tamaranian slowly floated up the stairs, heading for the empath's room. As she neared the silver door, her communicator buzzed in her pocket, and she retrieved it, gazing at the screen with drowsy eyes. "R-raven?" A loud yawn escaped her lips. "Where are you?"

"I'm out in town. Tell everyone I'm just talking with a friend. Don't worry about me, lock down the tower. I can let myself in." Raven slightly distorted voice came through.

"Alright. Be safe, friend. I shall see you later," Starfire smiled and closed her communicator. She stumbled down the hall to Robin's door, and knocked a few times. The door opened and the Leaders head popped out.

"Did you find her?"

"She called, she's out talking with a friend in town. She says not to worry, she can let herself in, good night," and Star continued down the hall, not waiting for the leader to acknowledge what she said for fear that she would pass out any second.

"Oh, okay…thanks Star!" He shouted down the hall to the vanishing alien.

Starfire slipped in her room and collapsed on the pink, round bed. Her quiet snores echoed down the hall seconds later.

Raven shut her communicator and continued following Jinx. They had finally got out of south side after a few bad directional choices by the sorceress landed them in even less of a pleasant area. Raven flew up to get her bearings before leading them towards the business sector, after which, Jinx took the lead again.

"Ah, there it is," she pointed to a faint glow in the gloomy distance. The cool blue neon flicked in the dark.

_Phoenix Café_. Raven liked the way the place looked so far. The outside of the building was slate grey brick and cobblestone; the sign hung above the door, casting an eerie glow upon them as they walked inside.

Jinx turned and grinned at the look of excitement on the other girls face. "I knew you'd like it…"

"This place…I didn't know it existed. How long has it been here?" Raven took off her cloak and shook off as much of the rain water she could before slipping it back on. She left her hood down.

"Oh, it's been here for a while. Just, you have to know where to look to find it," Jinx took off her coat and hung it on a coat rack beside the entrance, pocketing her money while Raven was distracted with her cloak.

Jinx glanced across the room. She nodded her head at a familiar looking man sitting over in the corner and took a seat in an overstuffed black leather chair. Raven sat down across from her. A dark brown table stood between them. The psion ran her finger tips over the engrained gold designs that traveled along the rim of the table top; a smile slowly crept onto her lips as she looked around the rest of the café.

The walls and floor were dark grey and, like the outside, made of stone. A few throw rugs were placed underneath all the little tables and chairs scattered about the large room. Low lighting added to the sense of comfort for the empath, and she noted the gas flame torches that lined the room. In the center of the café, bathed in light, was an impressive copper sculpture of a Phoenix in mid flight; wings spread, flames falling off like feathers. Along the back wall was the counter where the coffee and other beverages were made. A few sleepy-eyed employees acknowledged the two girls' presence but said nothing.

A low murmur filled the room, and Raven was surprised to see that so many people were up and about at this hour; the room was almost full. She settled down in the comfortable chair and turned her attention back to Jinx…

Who was staring off at someone. Raven followed her eyes to a tall thin man that was lounging in the corner with a book. He had long black hair in a pony tail; small rectangular glasses adorned his face. Bright green eyes followed the words on the page as he read. He was very attractive, Raven admitted, and suddenly wondered if Jinx knew the guy or was just ogling him.

"Do you know him?" Raven's tone had a slight edge to it as she locked eyes with Jinx.

"Yeah, he's just an acquaintance of mine. I didn't know that he came here," Jinx shrugged and then produced a sly smile. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering why you were staring at him."

"I wasn't staring, I was thinking." Jinx leaned on the table, bringing her face closer to the other girl. "So what are you having?"

"What am I having?"

"To drink. You know, beverage," Jinx gestured with a hand in a mock drinking pose. Raven rolled her eyes.

"I suppose some sort of tea would be nice," she reached into her pocket to retrieve some money, but Jinx had already gotten up and left for the counter. Raven blinked. She had never noticed how graceful the girl's gait was; smooth, easy flowing steps. Raven smiled. _Wait, she doesn't have to buy mine!_ She jumped up and walked up to the counter where Jinx was paying.

"Don't worry about it Raven, go sit down," she said without turning around.

"Jinx, I can pay for my own drink," Raven tried to give her a five dollar bill but the feline ignored it and took the two styrofoam cups in her hands.

"The sugar and stuff is over here…" she smiled to herself at the irritated look on the other girls face and moved over to another counter. Raven glared at Jinx as she slid over her cup of tea. "Now stop your glaring and put some sugar in that tea."

"What kind of tea is this?" Raven asked quietly as she took off the plastic top and peered at the light colored liquid inside.

"It's a surprise," Jinx smirked as she poured packet after packet into her venti latte. Raven raised a brow as the count came to packet number 13.

"Isn't that a little…excessive? It's one in the morning."

"I like my caffeine sweet, it adds to the experience," Jinx took a sip of her drink and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. "Hmm…not too bad," she extended the cup out to Raven. "What do you think?"

Raven eyed the cup of frothy liquid and looked back up to Jinx, who only grinned and shoved the cup closer to the titan. Raven rolled her eyes and took the cup, bringing it to her lips. She took a sip of the hot coffee and her face instantly scrunched up.

"Jesus, Jinx, why don't you just eat sugar," Raven made a face and took a sip of her tea to tone down the sweetness in her mouth. _Mmm, Chamomile_.

"Aww, it's not that bad," Jinx grinned and scampered back to their table. She plopped down across the chair, letting her legs hang over one of the arms and her back rest on the other.

Raven shot a glance at the guy in the corner and caught his eyes for a few seconds. He smiled and looked to Jinx before chuckling at something and turning his attention back to his book. Raven narrowed her eyes. _Who are you? What are you smiling at?_ She walked back over and sat down in her chair. Jinx took a big sip of her latte and sat up.

"Soooo,tellmeRaven,what'supwithus,hm?" Jinx shot out at rapid speed.

Raven stared. "I'm not sure that even qualified as a sentence."

"Hahaha, ah, you make me laugh. I said, what's up with us, Raven?" Jinx tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Well, I am fine, but you seem to be quite wired."

"How clever…"

"No, not at all," Raven said dryly, taking a sip of her tea before smiling a bit. "I don't know, Jinx. What are you feeling right now?"

"Ah, there's a good question. Let's see…" Jinx leaned back in the leather chair and stared at the dark ceiling. "What am I feeling…well, at the moment I feel a little contemplative, philosophical perhaps." She took another hit of her sugary concoction and put on a mock visage; brow furrowed in thought, her chin resting on her clenched fist.

Raven took a sip of her tea and shook her head. There was something different about that girl…she certainly was smart, witty, even charming. But she had this hint of childishness, that glimmer of mischievous thoughts in her bright, intelligent eyes. The way the corners of her mouth curl up into that confident, striking grin. The fluid, dexterous movements and great body give her physical advantages. She's quick, nimble, and graceful-even when trying to save her own ass.

Jinx leaned forward and slammed the legs of the chair down on the stone floor. "I happen to think that you already know how I feel…" she lowered her head, giving the empath a sideways glance.

"Perhaps," Raven feigned innocence.

"Yeah right! You're an empath! You can read my mind and feel what I'm feeling!" Jinx pointed her index finger at the pale teen while waving her other hand around in the air.

Raven smirked.

Jinx stopped her play-anger and just smiled at the girl across from her. She loved it when Raven smiled, smirked, grinned—did anything, really. It meant that Jinx had an effect on the normally cold Titan. The sorceress liked that idea. "So, if you know how I'm feeling, why ask me?"

"I don't just barge into people's minds, Jinx. That would be rude. Although I can feel that knotted stomach of yours all the way over here."

"Heh, well…I seem to be attracted to you."

"Yes, I gathered that," Raven took another sip of her tea, grinning behind her cup at the slightly indescribable look on the feline's face. She put her cup down and shifted to a more comfortable position; her elbows on the edge of the table, resting her chin atop her folded hands. "I happen to be attracted to you as well."

If it were even humanly possible, the former HIVE member's grin grew even wider. "Good."

Raven laughed a little. "Good?"

"That's what I said," Jinx took off the top of her cup and stirred the thick sugar and latte mixture at the bottom. Raven watched in slight amazement -- mostly horror -- as Jinx downed the remaining glucose in a few, slow seconds.

"Uhm…how can you, drink…or…eat that?"

The girl licked the rim of the cup before turning her attention back to her companion. "I'm a sap for sweet things," Jinx produced a thoughtful smile, causing Raven to blush slightly and look away. "You take compliments so well, I can tell already."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Just about as well as you take orders from someone else."

"Wow, that bad, huh?"

"Can I ask you something, Jinx?" Raven put on a serious face and sat back in her chair.

Jinx's eyebrows shot up and she ceased her playful grin. She sat up straight and looked the Titan in the eyes. "Sure. What would you like to ask?"

"How do you get your hair to stand up like that?"

Jinx's expression dropped, while Raven's brightened with a grin. The thief composed herself a few seconds later and flashed a smile. "Well now, that's a trade secret only us villains know about. Kinda like this café and how we continually break out of jail."

"Interesting. See, I was thinking hair gel and those black bands, but now…if everything is connected, I'm not so sure…" Raven drank the last of her tea and set the cup on the center of the table next to Jinx's. "So, only villains come here? Because I happen to think those people over there are far too full of themselves to actually engage in manual labor."

Jinx stole a glace at a group of yuppies in the corner. They were drinking Red Bulls, looking at magazines and slaving away on their laptops; looking important so other people would envy them...for whatever reason. Like someone would actually stop thinking about themselves long enough to look at them. "Okay, so maybe this place is frequented by only a few villains. And when I say "a few," I really mean only me."

"I thought this seemed a tab bit too nice for the walks of criminal life in this city."

"Hey now, watch who you insult. I might be sensitive or something like that," Jinx crossed her legs and began rapidly bouncing her foot up and down. "You know, you are being very easy-going, especially for the cold, emotionless, goth you portray."

"Well, I find it easy to be myself around you," she raised a brow and thought for a moment, "for some odd reason…given that this is the first civil conversation we have ever had..." Raven pushed a strand of wayward hair out of her face.

"This is true," Jinx picked up her empty cup and began fiddling with it. She tore at the rim, peeling back little strips and crinkling them in her hand.

Raven watched her destroy the paper cup; a slight hint of curiosity made her wonder what was the cause of the girl's behavior. "And I'm not gothic. I just like dark; people assume that means I'm confused about my identity."

Jinx just nodded her head and continued to decimate the coffee cup. Raven raised a brow.

"Had a bit too much sugar, did we?"

"NO," Jinx over enunciated with a playful smirk; her twitching foot and fidgeting continued.

"If you say so…what time is it?" Raven turned to look around for a clock and noticed that someone was standing right behind her. She looked up to meet the green eyes of the man from the corner.

Jinx's eyes went wide for a split second. _Luke, what the hell are you doing? Don't come over here and talk business with Raven right here! Gods, man._

"I've got two twenty-seven," he smiled as he looked up from his silver Rolex.

"Luke! What are you doing here?" Jinx's fidgeting ceased and she sat up on the edge of her chair.

Raven found the girl's sudden change in persona odd and looked on with an interested eye. _What's wrong Jinx? Something you don't what me to find out?_

"I was just relaxing and catching up on some reading, my dear Jinx. And what are two lovely ladies like you doing out at this hour, may I ask?" Luke raised a perfectly shaped brow.

"Hey, we're big girls. We don't have a curfew or anything," Jinx produced an uneasy smile. "We don't want to keep you from anything important-"

"Not at all." Luke turned to Raven. "Forgive me, we haven't been properly introduced," he extended a hand. "My name is Luke. And you, friend of Jinx?"

A thin smile appeared on the Titan's lips and she took the gentleman's hand, giving a firm shake. "I'm Raven. Pleased to meet you, Luke," she quietly droned out_. Your attire leads me to believe that you are either in the mob or have a questionable occupation, Luke. And you know Jinx…I'm going to say that you are a criminal as well._

"Well, we were just getting ready to leave…" Jinx stood up and stretched. Raven shot her a look but the sorceress was already looking the other way.

"Well, I won't keep you two from your fun…" Luke gave Jinx a smug look, his eyebrows raised and teeth shining in a bright smile. "Didn't spend all your money already, I hope?"

Raven's eyebrows shot up. _Money? This must be the guy she turns her stuff into. No wonder she wants to get rid of him_. She brought her hand to where she had placed Jinx's cash in the safety of her belt. _What?_ She looked down. It was gone. Raven looked back up, her eyes falling on the standing feline on the other side of the table. _That scheming little…she snatched it back when she jumped off the roof!_

Luke nodded to the dark bird. "It was nice meeting you, Raven." And he gave one last look over his shoulder to Jinx before heading out the door.

Jinx gave a sigh, a tab bit louder than she wanted, and slowly turned to see Raven glaring at her. _Great. Thanks a lot, Luke…asshole_. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing at all," she scowled.

Jinx sat back down and leaned across the table, bringing her face dangerously close to the empath's. "If it's nothing then why are you giving me the death glare?"

"Sorry to tell you, but I lost your money…maybe when you threw yourself at me earlier?" Raven's glower radiated the feeling of irritation towards the other individual's previous antics.

"Oh…" Jinx bit her lip. "Heh, uhm, gotcha?"

Raven continued to glare for a few more seconds before it rapidly faded away. She just couldn't be angry with Jinx. She was just so cute sitting there, her hair drooping back, eyes filled with worry, biting her lip. _Her soft, lovely lips…Jesus, Raven, knock it off_. She sighed and smiled a little. "You're lucky I happen to like you, otherwise I might have to kick your ass."

Jinx instantly brightened, that trademark grin appearing on her face. She jumped up and stood next to the seated bird. "Ha! Like you could take me!" She spread her arms out and pulled back her shoulders, cocking her head to the side. "Bring it, sunshine."

That didn't go over well with the now glaring half-demon. Raven stood, adjusted her cloak and headed for the door. As she passed the slightly confused Jinx, she mumbled "Outside."

"I uhm…what? She watched Raven pull up her hood and walk out the front door. _Surely she's kidding…right? What the hell did I say?_ Jinx grabbed the two cups and scraps of her cup and threw them in the trash as she hurried to the door. She slipped on her jacket and zipped it up as she shouldered the door open and walked into the biting cold.

The rain had stopped; the thunderheads parted to reveal a clear, black sky above. Blinking to adjust her eyes, the sorceress scanned the surrounding area, finding no sign of Raven. She furrowed her brow, bringing a hand up to rub the back of her head. Jinx sighed and watched her breath fizzle up and away in the chilly air. _Where did you go?_ She gazed up at the constellation of Orion that shone brightly in the moonless sky. "Tell me, Hunter, have you seen a Raven pass by?" The wind blew against the back of her neck and she shivered slightly. "You're no help…"

"Do you always talk to yourself?" Raven's voice called out.

Jinx spun around to find Raven perched atop a stone wall, a thoughtful smile on her lips. "Why did you run out? Did that sunshine thing bother you? I was just joking." Jinx walked up to the wall and hopped up, sitting next to Raven.

"I just wanted to go outside, that's all."

"And that glare was necessary?" Jinx stared.

"It got you worried, didn't it?"

"Well, yeah."

"Good," Raven looked out into the street and shoved Jinx off the wall. "Don't call me sunshine."

The shove caught her off guard, and Jinx fell rather gracelessly to the sidewalk below, landing on her feet with a grunt. She stood and glared at her attacker above. "That was cheap."

"This coming from a thief?" Raven cocked her head to the side.

A mischievous grin crossed the feline's face and she climbed back up the wall, crouching next to Raven. "I wasn't talking to myself, I was talking to Orion."

"Orion…" Raven tilted her head skywards and spotted the three stars that formed the hunter's belt and the remaining glimmers that made up his body and bow. "Ah, the constellation. Did he have anything good to say?" Raven continued to search the sky.

Jinx's eyes focused on Raven's profile, and she bit her lip. _My god, Raven. You have no idea what you do to me_. The wind played with the deep blue hood that hid most of her face; a content expression and a slight smile on her lips._ I wish you would take your hood down, I love to look at you… _Jinx tore her gaze away and looked back at Orion. "No, he likes to make you figure things out on your own."

Raven looked down at her feet dangling off the edge of the wall. She took a deep breath and let it out, watching her breath swirl around in front of her eyes. "I had a great time with you today, Jinx."

The sorceress looked back to Raven. "Really? It's been kind of a weird night. Running into each other in the alley…me sneaking into your room…getting blamed for stealing something and you saving my ass…"

"It has been strange. But, I have enjoyed your company," Raven smiled.

Jinx beamed. "I had a great time with you too."

Raven frowned and looked at her feet again. "I should get going."

"Aww, but it's early!" Jinx nudged Raven with her elbow.

"Exactly. It's probably almost three now, and I'm on the opposite side of the city from the Tower."

Jinx looked away for a moment and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, if you wanted…I just live a few blocks away…"

Raven smirked a little. Jinx was blushing.

"You can crash at my place. I mean, if you want to. It's really cold out and you'll be freezing your ass off when you try and fly across the bay."

Raven thought for a moment. She wanted to go with Jinx, so very much. But, should she? It was the first occasion they had ever spent time together in a pleasant setting. Maybe they should call it a night and not risk anything. There was also the issue of her team back home. She couldn't just not come home, they would worry. On the other hand, she wanted to look up into Jinx's pink eyes and pull her into a kiss…_One night won't hurt. They won't even know I never came home. _"So, where do you live?"

That trademark grin appeared on the metahuman's lips and she hopped off the wall. "Follow me…" and Jinx took off down the road. Raven's eyes went wide for a moment and she dropped down and floated after her.

"Jinx, why are we running?" She called out to the pink girl a few yards ahead of her.

"You're not even running!" Jinx yelled back over her shoulder before turning sharply to the left and up a flight of concrete steps, Raven right behind her. They came to another street and Jinx turned right and sprinted down the road at a surprisingly rapid pace.

_Damn, she's pretty fast_, Raven increased her own speed and kept up with Jinx, who was laughing hysetrically for some odd reason. Raven caught up with Jinx and grabbed her shoulder, slowing the both of them down to a walking pace. "What are you laughing at?" Raven set down on the ground and walked next to the giggling, breathless girl.

"I just had a buzz going, needed to run. I found it humorous; hence the laughing," Jinx panted a bit and produced that Cheshire cat smile. "Race you to the door?"

Raven shook her head "Still have some energy to burn?"

"Yyyep!"

"What door…" but Jinx had already taken off once again. "Jinx, where's the door, you cheater!" Raven lifted off and chased after the pink haired girl, straining to keep up as she twisted and turned down narrow walkways and alleys.

After a minute and a half of this pace, Jinx slowed a little and Raven made up lost ground. She lost view of her around a corner but as the empath turned she spotted Jinx atop a set of iron stairs in the middle of a wide alley. Raven sailed up the steps, reached out and grabbed Jinx by the shoulders as the sorceress come to a stop…the two of them slammed into the dented, black door Jinx was opening and fell on the ground inside the apartment. In the process, Raven's cloak had flipped over and twisted around, covering her head. She struggled to remove it, ripping the fabric away, finding herself laying on top of a grinning Jinx. She stared at the supine girl, their faces were only a few inches apart.

"Hi." Jinx smirked.

"Oh, I uhm, sorry…" Raven felt her cheeks grow warm and she hurried off the girl, backing up to the doorway. Jinx frowned a little, but got up and straightened her skirt.

"Heh, well that was fun," she nudged the psion aside and shut her sad, even more dented door. "Got some of that latte out of my system."

"I think it was more the cup of sugar you put in the latte…" Raven stood awkwardly by the door, unsure if she should just sit down. She felt like she shouldn't be there, like somehow she was imposing upon this thief's hideout. _What…I mean, how can she trust me enough to bring me to her apartment like this? I'm a vigilante, she's a thief. I should report this and have her arrested…but I don't want to._

Jinx took off her jacket and threw it over the back of a chair.

"You gonna just stand there?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I am."

Jinx shook her head. "Welcome to my humble abode. Make yourself at home," she spread out her arms and gestured to the apartment.

It smelled of lilies and orchids. The walls were standard white, the carpet grey. Black and silver drapes choked out what little light poured thought the window to the left. A black leather couch stood quietly against the wall, and a low, black wooden table rested in front of it. A rather expensive flat screen television hung on the opposite wall, with various electronic equipment below on a metal shelving unit. _Gee, I wonder where she got the money for that…_Raven smirked a bit. On the right side of the entrance was the connected dining room. Only a wooden table and a few chairs stood in their place.

"The kitchen is through there," Jinx pointed to the hallway leading away from the end of the dining room. "Shit, I forgot I was out of food." She grumbled and then turned back to Raven. "Through here is the bedroom and the bathroom." Jinx walked through the doorway and Raven followed. Jinx's bedroom was dark, with black, grey, and purple-pink colors. There was a dresser with various bottles, tools, and drawing materials scattered on top. A full size bed rested in front of the window. Jinx flicked on the light in the bathroom and turned to Raven.

"Towels are in the closet, feel free to take a shower. Uhm…I have some PJ's that you can wear if you want to get out of those wet clothes."

Raven looked down at her uniform. She was still soaked to the skin, and her cloak was no better. "Uhm, sure. Do you just have some bottoms and a t-shirt or something?"

Jinx scampered over and rummaged through the closet, pulling out a pair of blue flannel pajamas and holding them out to the shorter girl. She looked Raven up and down and then the PJ's. "They might be a little big on you," she grinned.

"Thanks," Raven took the clothes but hesitated in moving into the bathroom. Jinx lowered her eyes and bit her lip, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. _Kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss her,_ Raven's thoughts screamed. The empath swallowed hard and took a step, then another, and another until she was mere inches from the feline.

Jinx gazed down into the deep blue-violet orbs before her and just melted inside. Raven blinked and searched Jinx's pink eyes for something, anything that hinted at her not wanting this. After a second and Jinx only smiled, Raven leaned up and gently met the other girl's lips. Instantly, Jinx returned the gesture. She leaned down and wrapped her arms around Raven, who shivered under the feline's touch. Raven slipped her hands around Jinx's waist and pulled her closer, deeper into the kiss. When they finally pulled away, breathless, a smirk appeared on Raven's lips.

"I didn't know you had your tongue pierced."


	6. A Little Past Three

**Chapter Six: A Little Past Three**

A playful smirk found its way onto Jinx's lips; her eyes alight with some unknown glow. Her lips parted from that mischievous grin and she stuck out her tongue, revealing a shiny steel barbell. "I got it done a few years ago, so I'm pretty good at hiding it." Jinx un-wrapped her arms from Raven and gave the awe-struck girl a gentle shove into the bathroom. "Go take your shower," she smiled.

Raven peered out around the door and watched Jinx scamper off into the living room with a goofy grin on her face. It was then that Raven noticed she also harbored such a facial expression. She shook her head as she shut and locked the bathroom door. _Wow…that was…gods, why can't I stop smiling? _She turned on the water and let it warm up. Steam quickly filled the small room as she stared at her oddly happy expression in the fogging mirror above the crooked, white sink. _Look at me. I look like some school girl with a crush. Was it really that big of a deal, I mean, I just kissed a girl._ Raven fiddled with the soap dispenser on the counter.

A rapping tore Raven from her thoughts and she composed herself before opening the door. "Yes?"

"I forgot to tell you there is a new bottle of shampoo and soap under the sink. The stuff I have in the shower is running low," Jinx had changed into a pair of baggy white bottoms and a tight black t-shirt; her hair hung down around her shoulders, slightly damp. She leaned on the door frame and peeked at Raven through the slightly opened door.

"Wait…did you take a shower already?"

"Insomniac neighbors let me take a fast one. You still look dry, what the hell are you doing in there?" Jinx raised a brow and looked at the digital clock glowing on her desk; it read 3:38. "You have been in there for twenty minutes…"

Had Raven just been standing there, day dreaming about that kiss? Apparently so. "I was just meditating, I'll be out in a little bit," she lied, giving a small smile before shutting the door again.

Jinx shook her head and sighed happily as she collapsed on her couch. _This turned out to be quite an eventful night…_Then the sudden realization set in. "Wait, I invited her to sleep in my apartment with me? Shit, what was I thinking? I have no food, only a small bed and this old couch." She ran her finger through her hair. "I can't mess this up by being too forward…or just vanilla." Jinx pondered to herself aloud. "So…Uhm, I should offer her the bed, must be a good host. Do I even have an extra pillow and a blanket? Man, I didn't plan this out very well…" she yawned.

* * *

Raven let the scalding water rain down upon her. It felt so good, warming up her chilled bones and flesh, yet slightly painful at the same time. A lot like life. The scent of the shampoo and bath gel made her smile. _Orchids…Jinx always smells like orchids. Why didn't I notice before? How I love them_… She cringed slightly at the temperature as she rinsed her face of a few globs of wayward foam before finally turning off the water. She grabbed a fluffy grey towel and dried herself off.

In a rather hesitant fashion, Raven held out the pajama bottoms, raising a brow at the length. With a shrug, she pulled them on and slipped on the short sleeve, button up flannel shirt. The pants hung a good four inches past her feet. She shuffled out of the bathroom with the towel around her neck and wet clothes in her arms.

"Hey Jinx, do you have a plastic bag or anything…" Raven walked around the corner to find a rather pathetic sight. Apparently, Jinx had crashed from her sugar high; she lay sprawled out, asleep on the couch. Her head hung off the edge slightly; her left leg reached over the back of the couch and partially up the wall. One arm rested on her stomach, the other drooping to the floor. She looked like a lazy cat taking an afternoon nap. _A rather charming, attractive cat_. Raven looked around for a blanket to cover her feline friend, but didn't see anything.

In the kitchen Raven found an old plastic grocery bag, and she shoved her wet uniform inside, leaving the tied bag by the door_. Should I put her on her bed? I don't want to wake her, she looks so peaceful_. As if on queue, Jinx grumbled some incoherent words and shifted, falling off the couch in a rather graceless fashion. Raven rolled her eyes. _Nevermind_…

"Ooof. Gahrrrr-wha?" Jinx lifted her head up and blinked her eyes sleepily. After a few seconds her mind caught up with her. Jinx stumbled up and sat back down on the couch. "Oh, uh, hi." She smiled at how funny the normally dark Titan looked in her baggy pajamas. "Nice outfit…How long was I asleep?" she scratched the back of her head.

Raven glanced at the clock on the DVD player, which read 4:04 am. "Only about twenty minutes or so. You should go to bed," Raven pointed her thumb over her shoulder into the bedroom as she stifled a yawn.

"Yeah…wait. No, no, you can take the bed. You need rest as well."

"It's your apartment; you sleep in your bed. I can take the couch," Raven leaned up against the wall.

"You are a guest in my home, please, you sleep in the bed. It's quite comfy."

"I can't, it's yours. I'd feel rude taking a comfy bed from you."

"No. Get your ass in there, I've got the couch," Jinx sprawled back down on the leather sofa and stretched out.

Raven narrowed her eyes.

In about 1.3 seconds, Jinx was torn from the couch, flung into the bedroom where she landed on the bed and fell off the other side. A head popped up with a shocked expression, her pink eyes wide. "What the hell, Raven?" she grinned.

Raven stuck her head into the bedroom and smirked. "Good night, Jinx," and she quietly shut the door.

Jinx grumbled as she pulled back the covers and crawled underneath. _I don't want her sleeping on that lumpy old couch. Headstrong girl…that couch is too short anyway, she'll never fall asleep…does Raven sleep? Surely she does…she doesn't even have a blanket out there! Grrr…mmmm._ Jinx blinked heavy eyelids, trying desperately to stay awake. A few seconds more of fighting and she drifted off to where ever a mind such as hers goes in its sleep. Perhaps out into space, to the depths of the ocean, or into dreams involving a mysterious cloak-clad girl.

In the living room, Raven lay on her back on the cold couch, staring at a crack in the plaster ceiling. She sighed. _I'm never going to fall asleep on this thing_. A lump in the couch on her lower back caught her attention. She felt around, pulling a remote from the depths of the leather. She rolled her eyes and set the device down on the table. _Just like back home_. The empath settled back down, her thoughts quickly taking over.

_Back to that crack._ _It looks kind of like a 'k', or maybe more like a 'v' on a crooked line. Or maybe it's just a crack and you still aren't asleep, Raven…I hope I didn't leave my communicator in that bag with my soaking wet clothes…What am I going to wear home tomorrow? Its too far of a distance to teleport…what will the guys think when I waltz in wearing someone else's pajamas? Stop, stop, go to bed! Right, sleep, okay_… Raven sighed.

In the annoying silence of the room, the sudden sound of running water in an adjacent apartment sounded out. Ancient pipes groaned behind the walls as they strained to deliver water above. Outside, a few cars driving by threw up what rain water was on the road, creating the low hum and hissing sound so familiar to city dwellers. Raven shifted uncomfortably. Silence once again.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The air conditioning switched on, blasting out cold air into the warm room. _Why does she have the air on in November?_ Chills ran down Raven's spine, and she curled up on her side, shivering. Jinx's warm bed and soft pillow sounded great right about now, _Especially with her in it…very productive thought._ She sighed. Jinx was almost certainly fast asleep, and Raven didn't want to disturb her…but this wasn't going to work. She rolled over and tried to get comfortable.

_Goddess, this is stupid, can't believe I'm doing this…_Raven crept into Jinx's room, noting the steady breathing of a sleeping creature in the bed. The empath pulled back the corner of the comforter on the left side and very slowly climbed into bed, instantly relieved to feel the warmth against her cool skin. She cautiously settled into a comfortable position on her back, resting her head on her up stretched arm. _Ahh…so nice and wa-whoa!_ A hand slipped around Raven's shoulders and she was pulled into Jinx, who wrapped her other arm around the frozen titan and snuggled in her sleep. Raven didn't move.

"Mmmrrmah…" Jinx murmured and slowly opened her eyes. The darkness hid the bird from her sight, but Jinx felt something odd about the current situation in the bed. _What's going on_…she moved her hand and brushed up against exposed flesh. A sharp intake of breath immediately told Jinx that there was someone else in bed with her. And, logically, that would only be one person. _I uhm…why I'm I wrapped around her_?

Raven remained motionless, unsure of what she should do. When those fingers trailed across her slightly exposed stomach, she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Shivers still ran across her cool, sensitive skin. Raven turned to look into half closed cotton candy eyes. "…Hi."

"I told you to take the bed and you refused, in a rather stubborn fashion, might I add…now you want it?" A small smirk made it's way onto Jinx's lips, and she let go of the now blushing girl.

"I…it was cold." Raven laid her head down on the corner of the pillow, smiling and looking away. Jinx scooted over, giving the psion room to herself.

"You are the one that wanted to sleep on the couch," Jinx yawned and stood up, heading for the door.

"Wait!" Raven heard herself say. She sat up and felt her cheeks grow warm again. "You can…I don't mind…if you don't mind…"

_Aww, she's so cute when she's embarrassed_. "…can sleep in here with you?" Jinx helped the girl out, a clear grin on her face.

"Yeah," Raven nodded and ran a hand through her hair.

The feline walked back over and slipped under the warm covers. Raven lay on her side, placing a hand on Jinx's stomach as the sorceress lay on her back. After a moment of resting in silent glee, Jinx chuckled a little. "Why didn't we just think of this from the start?"

Only the even rhythm of quiet breathing answered. Jinx smiled and shut her eyes, quickly joining Raven in her own dreams.

* * *

"Raven, come in."

_What's that?_ Words were heard by the empath, but they held no meaning to her still sleepy mind.

"Raven. Come in, Raven." came the crackle once again.

_That voice…so familiar._

"Raven, are you alright?

_Robin? What…oh. Oh!_ In one quick motion, Raven leapt from the bed, stumbled to the door and snatched her beeping communicator from the bag of damp clothing. She stifled a yawn and blinked before she flipped it open and stared at the worried face of the leader of the Teen Titans. "I'm here. What?"

"Raven, where have you been?" Robin looked slightly relieved but also a little confused…or shocked. One of his eye brows rose up and he tilted his head to the side.

"I just crashed at a friends place," Raven wondered what he was staring at. She brought her hand up and felt the crazy hair style she was sporting at the moment and quickly fixed it as best she could. "I didn't call because it was four in the morning."

"Oh…we were just worried. Your com said you weren't in the tower and the others were about to go out looking for you…I stopped them; figured you might have just stayed somewhere and I didn't want to ruin your fun or anything. But…any longer and I would have really worried."

Raven suddenly noticed the intense light coming through the window, despite the dark, thick curtains. "What time is it?"

"Uh…" Robin looked away at a clock, "a little past three."

Raven just stared for a moment, causing Robin's other brow to shoot up as well. _Three? I have never slept in this late in…forever._ She blinked herself out of her little daydream. "Uhm, I'll be home in a little bit. Raven out."

"That your slave driver?" The voice caused Raven to turn around and see a smiling Jinx in the doorway. She looked like she had been up for a few hours; in her usual attire, her hair in its trademark horns.

"Yeah, that was Robin…how long have you been up?"

"Oh, since eleven or so."

Raven's expression leapt to shocked. "And you didn't wake me up?"

"Aww, but you were sleeping, I didn't want to disturb you. Plus, I went out and got some food," she put on a ravenous expression as she said 'food', curling her fingers into animalistic claws.

"Uh, okay?"

Jinx laughed at Raven and meandered into the kitchen. "Do you want anything before you run off to do your vigilante thing?" she called out with her head buried in the fridge.

Raven's stomach grumbled its reply, and she shrugged. "Sure. Do you have an apple or something?"

"Apples? I love apples!" Jinx called back.

Raven adjusted her borrowed p.j.'s and set her communicator on the table before following the sound of Jinx's mumbling as she rummaged through the fruit drawer in the ice box.

"Ah-ha…green or red?" Jinx held out two apples as Raven entered the kitchen.

"Is the red a Red Delicious or a Macintosh?"

"Red Delicious is sarcasm, I've decided, because they are far from delicious. It's a Mac…sweet and crunchy" she wiggled the red, "or sour and juicy," she gestured to the green.

Raven took the red apple and crunched into it, happy with her choice. Her stomach agreed. Jinx took her green apple and shined it on her shirt before taking a bite. "Now… what are you going to wear home?" Jinx inquired as she took another bite.

Raven shrugged. "I guess I'll just put my wet uniform back on and hurry home."

"You are crazy…"Jinx shook her head. "Its thirty-some degrees outside. You know, water _freezes_ at thirty two…"

"Smart ass."

"I know." Jinx laughed. "I mean, you can wear those pajamas home, just be prepared for questions as to why you are wearing them."

"Yeah…I think I can pull it off…" Raven finished her apple and threw the core away. _I can't believe I slept in so late. I usually get up to watch the sunrise…then again I don't go to bed at four thirty in the morning either. Must have slept really well. I did, I feel great_. Raven thought as she looked around for her boots.

Jinx just couldn't stop smiling. She just had a great night free of vandalism and boredom induced pyromania. Aside from her planned heist, she really didn't do anything illegal at all. Just spent hours with Raven, slowly getting to know her. She was still far from being close to the introvert with violet eyes, but Jinx was as stubborn and persistent as they come. She knew when to give up, but the feline just wouldn't buy that "emotionless goth" image that Raven seemed. _There's something more; she's this awesome person and I know it. Her eyes are so alive, with an eerie glow of intelligence and that spark of attitude. She's no pale dramatic teen with identity issues. This dark, complex, great person…she just keeps it all to herself. I need to teach her how to share…this is hilarious coming from me. Share…hahaha…_

"Hey Jinx, have you seen my boots?" Raven came out of the bedroom with her eyes downcast, looking for her missing footwear.

"Boots…" Jinx repeated as she thought for a moment. "Ah. They are in the bathroom on the floor beside the side of the sink."

Raven tilted her head to the side in a moment of slight confusion. _Haven't I looked there?_ But sure enough, neatly standing in the bathroom were her surprisingly dry boots. She pulled them on and straightened her pajamas before heading for the door. Raven pulled on her cloak, adjusted her hood, and picked up her bag of wet clothes, reaching for the door knob. She felt two arms slip around her waist and she was pulled into a backwards hug. Raven couldn't help but smile.

"You shouldn't wear this all the time," Jinx whispered in her ear as she pulled down Raven's hood and planted a kiss on her neck. "At least not around people that care about you."

Raven shivered a moment and looked up over her shoulder into the taller girl's eyes. "People that care about me? I'm not sure I like you like that…"

Jinx glowered and squeezed the laughing empath in a tight bear hug before letting her go. Both Raven and Jinx smiled.

"Thanks, for everything. I'll bring back your pajamas," Raven gave one last look before lifting off up into the cold afternoon sky. Jinx watched her drift away until she disappeared behind a building and the sorceress shut the door with an elated sigh.

"I can't stop smiling," Jinx plopped down on the couch. Her gaze fell upon her coffee table. Atop it rested her until recently lost remote and a small yellow device. "Hey, Raven found my remote…and she left her communicator." Jinx picked up the palm sized object and looked over it intently. It was battered and chipped; looked like it had been dragged across the ground and pulled through the depths of hell. With her thumb she flipped open the top and a blue screen came to life, a white cursor blinking.

**-Select Operation-**

_Hmm…_Jinx scrolled down and selected '**Call**'.

**-Choose Call Sign-**

Let's see who's on here. The feline ran down past the original other four Titans and continued past the Titans East and a few Honorary Titans as well. She smirked and went back to the main menu, clicking the '**Message**' option, then '**Beast Boy**' from the list. After typing a few words she clicked '**Send**' and closed the com, laughing to herself as she wandered back into the kitchen for some more food.

* * *

A few chills ran over Raven's back as she touched down atop Titans Tower. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself and phased through the roof until she was safely in her room. With a relieved sigh, she grabbed a towel and a new uniform and headed for the shower, eager to warm up after her long, cold journey home. Just as her fingers graced the door knob, Raven was sacked by an Orange alien.

"Friend Raven you must tell me all about your outing with your 'friend' that I didn't know you had!" Starfire beamed as she squeezed the life out of the slowly growing blue girl. When she got no response, the Tamaranian released the demi-demon and produced a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I forget my strength sometimes."

"It's alright." Raven took in a deep breath. "How about I tell you all about it when I get out of the shower?" Raven hoped the topic of her current attire wouldn't come up as she slipped into the bathroom.

"And you will tell me why you are wearing such funny clothing?" Starfire eyed her friends flannel pants and short sleeve top.

Raven cringed. "Uh, sure…tell Robin I'm back for me?" and she shut the door with a sigh. _Man. Don't I ever get a break_?

Beast Boy flipped open his beeping communicator expecting to find a message from Robin or Cyborg about his imminent doom at his next video game or a reminder it was his turn to do dishes. What he found was a blinking '**Raven**' in the sender box. "What is she sending me a message for?" he scratched his head and opened the message.

**-You smell like butt. Love Raven-**


	7. Incognito

**Chapter seven: Incognito**

Raven, wrapped in a towel with her cloak and Jinx's P.J.'s in hand, peeked her head out of the bathroom door. The coast seemed clear but that could always just be an illusion. With the technology, random people breaking in, and a green teen that can shrink down to the size of a fly on the wall, things are never as they seem. Starfire was notorious for appearing out of nowhere and squeezing the life out of you in a bone crunching hug. Regardless, Raven stepped out into the hallway. Her bare feet patted silently on the carpet as she quickly closed the distance between her and the sanctuary at the end of the seemingly endless hall. _Almost there, don't look back just open the door-_

"Hey Rav-"

"In a minute," she cut off the deep voice of Cyborg as she slipped into her room. _Why is it that I can never make it to my room without being interrupted, ever?_ She shook her head as she pulled on a clean shirt, pair of pants, and cloak. As she adjusted her belt something felt odd; it was a tad bit lighter than usual. Raven ran her fingers over the spot where her communicator normally resided and growled. _No…how could I forget that, of all things?_ With a grumble she slid open her door and headed for the common area. She stopped and gave a knock on Cyborg's door, waiting briefly for the teen to stick his head out. "You needed something?" Raven asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I was just going to say hey and see how your night was," he raised a brow as her expression changed little, "…I will take your silence as a 'I don't want to talk about it' warning, so…Uhm, oh, I think BB wanted to talk to you," Cyborg smiled and Raven's frown faded a little. Vik's big goofy grin was hard not to laugh at, but the empath tried her best.

"What does Gar want to talk about…oh yeah. Tonight's his _date_, isn't it," Raven sighed and turned back down the hall. She stopped in the doorway of the changeling's open door, immediately having to duck as a pair of jeans came flying out of the room. She looked in to see half of the green boy buried in his closet, hurling out articles of clothing left and right.

"What are you doing?" Raven leaned on the door frame and crossed her arms in front of her.

"Raven, my date's in two hours and I have no idea what I'm gonna' wear!" Beast Boy gestured to the mess that was his room. Of course, if you asked Raven, she would have said it looked no different than it normally did, perhaps even an improvement. Regardless, clothing was strewn everywhere. "The guys are just as useless at this as I am, and Star doesn't have a clue so that leaves you but, well, yeah. You're you…what am I going to do?"

She rolled her eyes. As pathetic as he was, Raven wanted her friend to at least have a chance at a decent date. If he left the house looking nice it would be a huge improvement to the previous times he went out on a date with a girl. "First of all, calm down. Do you even _have_ any nice clothes?" Raven asked evenly from her position outside the realm of chaos.

Beast Boy took a deep breath and scratched his head as he scanned the mounds of shirts, uniforms, socks and pants. "Yeah, I got that one outfit the time Star dragged me to the mall when you ditched…"

"That blue thing? In case you hadn't noticed, you are a rather odd shade of green. The two don't exactly compliment one another in your case." Raven also looked around the room for anything that caught her eye. "Ah, there…see that pair of black pants?" she pointed, "pull those out."

Beast Boy waded over to the partially exposed pants that stuck out from behind a few magazines. He shook them out the casual slacks and held them up in front of himself, turning to Raven with a questioning expression. "…you know what you're doing?"

Raven glared. "I'm a girl, I know what looks good or not." She shifted a bit and examined the pants. "Those will do. They are a little wrinkled, but you can iron them later. Now for a shirt…" Her attention went back to the floor.

"What about this?" he held up a bright orange t-shirt with a design on the front. Raven just stared. "What? What's wrong with it?"

"It's no wonder you never got a second date…" Getting aggravated, she grumbled and walked into the room and started looking around for something suitable. _These had better be clean clothes, otherwise…_she cringed. "Gods, haven't you anything besides t-shirts?"

"You don't exactly have much aside from your uniforms either!"

"I have other clothes," Raven snapped back, defensively, gesturing to the pair she was wearing. "Just never the occasion I feel inclined to wear them."

Beast Boy shook his head with a smile. _One day, I will get her to go out on a date with someone…hey, that red shirt's sweet_, he thought as Raven grabbed it and tossed it aside. _Guess not…_He sighed and happened to look down at a gray collared button down shirt sticking up through the mass. The changeling smiled and held up the short sleeve shirt triumphantly. "Now this is what you're talking about, right?"

Raven looked over her shoulder and felt herself smile a bit. "Perfect, here, wear this under it," she tossed him a black t-shirt. "You do have shoes right? Anything is better than those sneakers you wear with your uniform."

"Uh, I have these black shoes," he pointed to a box on the shelf in his closet. "Worn them once, have no idea where or why I got them, though."

"Those will work," Raven stooped over the cluttered dresser and pulled out a black belt, tossing it to Beast Boy. "Now just find some socks and put it all together," she gave him a small smile and headed for the door.

"Hey Raven," she paused in the doorway, looking over her shoulder. "What did you do last night, and what's with that text message you sent me this afternoon?"

_Keep your cool, it's just Beast Boy; you were at a coffee shop, met a friend, crashed at their place…wait, text message?_ Raven turned and looked at him. "What message?"

Beast Boy gave her a funny look as he pulled his communicator out of his pocket and tossed it to the girl. "The message you sent me at about 3:30 or so," he set all his clothes on the partially clean bed and began shoving the rest back into the closet.

Raven scanned through the sequence and got to the message that he was speaking of. _You smell like butt. Love Raven_. The expression on the empath's face resembled that of slight amusement. _I'm going to kill that girl_. Raven looked back up. "Just wanted to remind you to shower before you get dressed," she coolly played it off as she tossed the com unit back to him and walked out of the room. Beast Boy stood staring at the empty doorway with a confused look on his face.

"What? Wait, what about last night? God, how does she always do that?" He threw his hands up and went back to 'cleaning' his room.

* * *

The East District Apartments resided in a quiet area on the edge of the business district in Jump City. The rather old complex held about 60 units in two buildings that faced one another; a wide walkway, some dead grass and a dumpster separated them. On one side of the complex was the bay, giving a clear view of Titans Tower in the distance. The other side was the city the residents of the tower guarded.

Jinx sat outside on the steps leading up to her apartment door. The temperature had risen some from last night and it felt pleasant enough to sit and enjoy what little warmth the sun sent down. The sorceress glared from behind her sunglasses at Eric, who was leaning up against his door across the way, lighting up a cigarette. "What did I tell you about smoking, Eric."

He smirked and brushed a hand through his messy brown. "Something about it not being very becoming?" he took a long drag off his cigarette, slowly blowing the smoke out his mouth.

"So you're not stupid, just ignorant. I understand now," Jinx shifted and adjusted the notebook on her leg. Eric furrowed his brow and leaned on the railing.

"You were out late last night."

"Are you watching me now?" she scribbled something down without looking up.

"No, I heard a loud noise and got up from my computer, thinking someone was busting in to someone's place. I look out my window to see you and your 'friend' crashing into your door," he took another drag and gave her a sideways glance. "What were you two doing, exactly?"

Jinx smirked a bit and looked up at her door, noting the dent from where some part of her or Raven had smashed the steel in a centimeter or so. "Oh we were drunk, who knows?"

"We both know that you don't drink," Eric put out his cigarette on the railing and sat down on his steps. "Come on, I'm a 23 year old college guy. I haven't seen you at anyone's party other than mine and you didn't touch anything. I'll bet you still have that bottle of Bacardi I gave you."

"Well, I guess all the money your parents are spending on your education isn't going to waste after all."

He rolled his eyes. "So what's up then? Did you find another thief to hang with?"

"What makes you think I'm a…" the look she was getting from the boy across the way stopped her mild attempt at deception. "No, Raven's not a thief."

"Raven? As in, the goth that lives over there?" He pointed to the Tower and Jinx nodded her head. "What the hell are you doing with her?"

Jinx shrugged. "We just went out for coffee, have similar senses of humor and stuff. She's nice to talk to."

"And, she does know that you are Jinx right?"

"No, I certainly fooled her, huh? Of course she knows. How many other pink-haired, cat-eyed girls named Jinx are there in this city?"

"So what you are telling me is that a Titan knowingly went and hung out with a thief and didn't arrest you or tip off any cops as to your location? You brought her to your home, how can you be sure she won't just call the police and I'll have to watch the poor bastards try to get you out of your apartment?" Eric leaned back on his elbows and stared up at the clouds.

"Because I know she won't. She wants me for herself…" Jinx mumbled under her breath as she continued scribbling in her notebook. Eric's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Jinx for a few moments in silence.

"Ah, I see what's going on here now…you like her too?" He cocked his head to the side and watched Jinx's cheeks turn a little red.

"Yeah…yeah I do."

"Damn. Off the market again…" He got up and stretched. "Well you be careful, little kitty."

"And you stop smoking," Jinx called out as he walked into his apartment and shut the door. She smiled and looked down at her notebook, adding a few more words before tearing out the page and heading back inside.

* * *

It was six-ten pm. Raven sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and an empty plate. She was watching Robin stand by the stove and lecture her on the proper way to make dinner. _I wonder if he knows what he's doing. We just had Chinese last night and he's making stir fry…oh well_. Robin had a stir fry in progress, but a little too much of the meat and vegetables ended up on the stove top, counter and floor. Robin continued to stir and flip the contents around in the hot wok before he picked it up and wobbled over to the table. He dumped a small amount on the plate in front of the empath that was trying not to laugh at the mess the boy wonder had made.

"Guys, food's ready!" Robin called out. A few seconds later Cyborg was seated at the table with a mouthful of meat. Starfire floated over and took a seat next to Raven, smiling to Robin as he scooped some food onto the plate in front of the Tamaranian.

"Thank you Robin, this looks most splendid! What is this mixture?"

"It's called stir fry, Star. It's meat and veggies with soy sauce and garlic and other things. You'll like it." Robin scooped the last onto his plate and sat down. "There's rice in that bowl too." After a minute of awkward silence, he looked around. "Hey, where's Gar?"

"Getting ready for his DAAAA-AAATE," Cyborg laughed.

"At least I got one!" The green teen glared as he walked up to the table dressed in the clothes Raven had picked out.

"Hey, lookin' sharp, BB," Robin grinned from behind his glass of water.

"Oh, friend, you look lovely," Starfire wrapped her arms around the now slightly blue teen.

"Thanks Star," he shrugged off the hug and turned to Raven, who was chewing. "So," he turned around once with his arms outspread, "how do I look?"

Raven stood up and walked over to him. She straightened his collar and flattened a wrinkle on the left side of the gray shirt before taking a step back and giving one last look over. She swallowed "Not bad, Gar. Just learn to tie your shoes and you'll be all set."

The boy looked down and blushed slightly, stooping down to tie his shoes. "All right, wish me luck," he grinned, slinging a plain leather jacket over his shoulders. He grabbed a pair of keys off the table. "Thanks for letting me take the T-Car, Cy."

The titanium man at the end of the table glowered and glared at Robin before glaring at Beast Boy. "Take _good_ care of her, you hear me? If there is _one_ scratch on her, I'll _kill_ you."

"I got this, I got this," he waved before disappearing through the door.

"So, who's got bets? I say he'll be back by nine," Cyborg called out.

"Perhaps this time we will actually hear about the date, instead of the 'it was fine' and Beast Boy hides in his room for the next day," Starfire poked a cube of beef with her fork and inspected it.

"Hey, he might do alright this time, Raven gave him a push in the right direction at least," Robin shoveled a spoonful of rice into his mouth. A quiet silence befell the room; Raven knew what the next topic of discussion was.

She cringed when Starfire turned to her and smiled. "So, Raven, what did you do last night?" The two boys looked up from their food with interest, and Raven slumped a little in her chair.

_Great…alright, you can do this. Relax. Breath. Tell them select truth and it will be fine._ "I met up with a friend that was walking down the street last night. It was cold so we went to get some coffee and talked for a bit. It got late, and she didn't want me to go home so late alone, so I crashed at her place. Slept in late, you called, I came home. That was it."

"And you were wearing those strange clothes because…?" the Tamaranian princess inquired before taking a bite of some green vegetable.

"It was raining; I took a shower at her place and didn't want to put my wet clothes on again. Those were just some pajamas that she let me borrow."

"So, this friend, anyone I know?" Robin asked.

"No, I don't believe so," Raven was suddenly intrigued by the specks of gray on the table, _Got to change the subject…_

"Cyborg, do you wish to teach me how to play the race car game after dinner? That way I can engage in recreation with you and Beast Boy and 'play the winner,'" Starfire smiled.

"Yeah, all right. Maybe you'll be better than BB and I'll finally have some competition. You in Robin?"

"As soon as the dishes are done, I'm in," he grinned. "What about you Raven?"

Raven looked up to see the three of them staring at her with that expression of waiting for a response. "Oh…no, I think I'm just going to go read a book," she stood up and placed her plate in the sink before heading for the door.

* * *

Jinx scanned the sparse environment on the rocky outcropping around the Tower. Things looked calm and quiet, but without the cover of rain, Jinx felt a little more vulnerable to attack. She bit her lip and sprinted to the front door, placing the small cardboard box she was carrying with her on the floor mat. She rang the door bell and dove for cover behind a large rock. She held back a giggle and kept her eyes on the door. A few moments later, Cyborg opened the massive steel door and looked around a few times before noticing the small box on the ground. He picked it up, shook it and walked back inside, slamming the door behind him. "Score. Time to get going," Jinx slipped away into the night once again.

* * *

"HEY RAVEN! PACKAGE FOR YOU!" Echoed down the hall. Raven was contently resting in her room, halfway through a book. She cringed and peered above the book as her door shook against the force of Cyborg's knock. _He's going to break it one of these days…_she sighed and slid open the door.

"Hey, you got a little something from someone special," he grinned and held out the box for her. She reached out for it but he snatched it up out of her reach just as her fingers graced the box. He dangled it above her reach. "What do you say…" he stopped there when her eyes flashed red, hastily gave her the box and hauled titanium back down the hallway.

Raven shut her door and sat on the edge of the bed. The box was small; plain brown cardboard, with no marking or stickers, other than a strip of packing tape across the top and 'Raven' written in an unfamiliar handwriting. It was light, but also heavy; the object inside was hard and solid. Raven glanced at her desk and grabbed a small knife off the table with her powers; it levitated over. After a quick slice, the top opened and violet eyes peered into the box, immediately knowing who it was from. Her yellow communicator nestled in newspaper. Raven reached in and pulled out her com, noticing a folded piece of paper underneath. After securing her communicator to its rightful place on her left hip, Raven unfolded the paper and read the handwritten letter on lined notebook paper:

_Corvid,_

_Remember to be more careful with your things next time. You'd make a horrible thief. What do you say to a movie tonight? If not, then maybe another time. If so, incognito is the preferred… like people with pink and purple hair can fit in anyway…meet me outside the theater at 8:30._

_The Feline_

_p.s. keep the p.j.'s_

Raven's lips curved up into a happy grin and she looked at the clock on her desk. _Six-fifty, plenty of time._ She got up, placed the note on her dresser and looked down at her clothing. Should she wear something a little less casual? They were going to the movies, it would be dark… Raven furrowed her brow and opened her closet.

Several uniforms neatly hanging on the pole, and a few cloaks rested on a hook on the inside of the door. Raven began digging around in the closet, searching.

She growled now and then when she found something she didn't like and threw it aside. Finally, she found a pair of dark blue jeans that she was almost certain would fit and laid them on her bed. She pulled out a simple, black button-up blouse; the sleeves were three-quarters and the neckline was v-cut. Was it perhaps too low? She pondered, looking down at her rather voluptuous breast. _Nope_, she yanked off her cloak and shirt before wiggling out of her pants.

The jeans fit nicely, she thought, as she watched herself button her blouse in the mirror behind her dresser. She slipped on a pair of socks, pulled on a pair of black and grey flats, and stood up. Satisfied with the outfit, she picked up her communicator and stared at it.

_Where am I going to put this… _she looked at the size of her pockets; far too small to hold the mini computer. Raven was never the 'purse' type. They were easily forgotten, easily stolen, and aside from the com, what would she put in it? Therefore, she didn't own any, and certainly wasn't going to ask Starfire if she could borrow one. She clipped the communicator to the back of her belt and pulled the end of her shirt over it. _Good enough_. She glanced at the clock again. Seven-forty.

"…That took far longer than necessary." Raven pulled on a dress leather jacket, grabbed some money off her desk and slipped it into her back pocket. After a quick glance in the mirror she switched off the lights and headed downstairs.

"I'm going out," she said as she walked past her three teammates glued to the big screen television. Thirty seconds after she had shut the door, they exchanged glances.

"What was Raven wearing?" Robin said aloud the question the three were asking themselves.

* * *

Raven stood on the edge of the mob of young teens mulling about in a social behavior common among the high school crowd. She narrowed her eyes as two blondes giggle and walked past her. _Stupid kids…_ Raven scanned the crowd for the pink hair of her date; which shouldn't have been that much of a feat, seeing as the frequency of pale girls with hot pink hair was at a minimum in this city.

"What 'cha doin'?" came a voice from behind. Raven turned to find her pink haired target. Jinx was dressed in boots, black cargo pants, a tight dark purple shirt, and a nice grey jacket; her cotton candy hair hung down around her shoulders.

"You look very nice," Raven quietly said.

Jinx blinked up from staring at the empath's shirt. "…oh! Thank you." She smiled shyly and looked down. "You look very nice as well."

Raven chuckled and shifted from foot to foot, trying to ignore the thoughts and feelings that were emanating from Jinx. For an instant she saw images of bare skin, lips, hands searching; the scent of orchids; hushed whispers. Standing there is the crowded lot of the movie theater, Raven only noticed the woman standing in front of her; only felt her pulsing excitement, nervousness and need. She tried to swallow it all down and remain composed. _Oh fuck_… she blinked, looking down from the curious pink eyes watching her. _Control yourself, Raven_…

Jinx quirked a brow at Raven's sudden mood shift. Did she really not get out often? To the point that being in a crowd this big had this much of an affect on her? The thief wet her lips and smiled. "I'm glad you decided to come," she pointed to the door, "shall we?"

Raven glanced to the long line at the ticket booth. "Did you already get tickets?"

"I did, I've been here for a while. Watched you glare at the little kids for a bit before rescuing you," she grinned and walked past the glowering empath. Raven filed behind the sorceress as she cut her way through the throngs of youth with glares and shoves.

Once inside, Jinx handed the tickets to the man standing by the entrance to the theaters and Raven looked up at the screen displaying the titles of the current movies. "What are we seeing?"

"It's a surprise," that Cheshire cat smile appeared. Raven scanned through the list of movies again. "Follow me," Jinx headed to the left and entered the hallway, turning left again. The last theater was showing 'Underworld: Evolution' and Raven sighed in relief. 'Date Movie' was the last thing she wanted to go to. Jinx gestured to the glowing red sign that read 'Undrwrld 8pm' and she held the door open for Raven. "See, nothing to worry about; I've good tastes."

The theater was half full, and the two climbed towards the top, heading for the middle of a row, forth from the last. Raven sat on Jinx's left, and the two stared at all the couples and people in the room.

"Hey, look at the outfit that guy's wearing," Jinx pointed to a blonde kid with spiky hair. He was wearing an old civil war overcoat, huge combat boots, and shorts that came halfway down his shins. Raven shook her head.

"…And people call me weird," Raven remarked dryly.

"You want anything to drink, eat?"

"I'm fine thank you." Raven pulled out the money from her back pocket. "How much were the tickets?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You paid for coffee last night, please, how much were they, Jinx?"

"Ooo, that girl's hair is awesome…"

"Jinx…"

The lights dimmed and the crowed quieted. "Shh, the movie's starting." Jinx smirked and stared straight at the screen; she could feel Raven's glare burning a hole in her face. What neither of them noticed was the familiar green teen and his date seated two rows directly behind them.

Raven continued to brood throughout the movie. _Why does she keep paying, oh it makes me so mad. She doesn't have to. I suppose she's doing it to be nice…or devious. Both. Two can play at that game…_Raven stole a glance around. Everyone was glued to the screen, even Jinx. _Perfect_. The empath leaned in closer and closer to the feline until she was mere centimeters away, holding her breath. Jinx still hadn't noticed.

Then in one fluid motion Raven had Jinx's left ear gently, yet firmly in her jaws. The sorceress went ridged; her hands gripped the arm rest tightly. Raven grinned. _Oh reeeally…_she exhaled slowly, sending hot moist air across Jinx's ear. The girl squirmed and stared in shock out of the corner of her eye. Raven nibbled down the lobe on her ear, trailing the tip of her tongue along the edge. Continued short breaths and the occasional slip of the tongue had Jinx biting her lip to keep from moaning as she squirmed in her seat. Raven let go of her ear and trailed down her neck with teeth and tongue, finishing with a gentle bite on Jinx's shoulder. Raven returned to her original movie-watching position with an innocent look on her face.

Jinx shivered and turned, giving Raven a look. _I can't believe she just did that…holy fucking shit, I think I'm dying…_ The feline rubbed her neck and squirmed one more time, whispering "You're the devil…" before turning back around. She tried to watch the movie but the rather attractive and leather-clad vampire on the screen was no match for the woman sitting beside her. Instead, Jinx spent the rest of the movie sneaking glances at Raven.

* * *

Beast Boy stared in slack-jawed shock as he watched Raven bite some woman's neck, two rows ahead of him. He squinted in the darkness trying to get a better view of whoever his teammate was with. _Raven is on a date with another woman? That's…that's…kinda hot. But who the hell is she with?_ When he couldn't figure out who she was he turned to his brunette date and whispered "I'll be right back." She smiled and nodded. He got up and slipped down the stairs to the sloped walkway leading up to the theater. Promptly turning into a fly, he buzzed up into the air and hovered above the two women. He got lower and lower until the other woman's face came into clear view. The pink eyes and vertical pupils were a dead give away; Beast Boy hovered, his little fly mouthparts drooping in an open mouth stare. _Oh my god, it's Jinx…_


	8. Busted

**Chapter Eight: Busted**

The movie ended and the audience began filing out of the theatre. Jinx and Raven remained seated, watching one another. The feline flared her nostrils, taking a deep, collecting breath_. Ohhhhkaaaaaay. Calm, relaxed, forgetting Raven ever touched me, let alone…whatever it was she did to me. Now I can't stop thinking about it. Damnit_.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" Raven asked dryly, the ghost of a smirk curving her lips.

Jinx laughed, rubbing her temple. "Of course I enjoyed the movie… and I already know you did." She leaned in close to the empath, whispering, "I know what you're doing."

Raven's brows shot up as she feigned innocence. "What I'm doing? Why would I be doing anything, Jinx?"

"Man, you're so awful at that," the thief took this moment to lean back in the seat and stretch.

Raven blinked slowly, refusing to look away from the flash of exposed skin as Jinx stretched languorously. The empath wanted to prove to herself that she could control her emotions, regardless of which ones were raging beneath her calm façade. But desire was such an untouched wonder to her… especially when it was so warm and soft and staring back at her with deep, coral eyes. "…I'm awful at what?" She blinked again, mildly confused.

Jinx flashed that Cheshire cat smile and stood. "I was going to say you're awful at pretending innocence, but the look on your face just proves without explanation…" she trailed off as she noticed a familiar face a few rows behind them. "Uh-oh."

Raven quirked a brow and looked over her shoulder to see Beast Boy glaring at them with arms crossed. _Oh how lovely_. The corvid narrowed her eyes, "Hello Garfield. Where's your date?"

"She went to the bathroom," he spat, gesturing to Jinx. "Care to explain?"

"I don't have anything to explain."

"Don't play this bullshit game with me, Raven," he started and stopped before he found the words he wanted to use. "You're the last person I'd expect to see necking another woman in public."

_Oh my_, Jinx thought. _You're an idiot, Beast Boy_.

The theater went dreadfully silent as the lights died and shadows grew. Raven's hair moved with some unseen breeze and she stared at the green Titan with eyes glowing red. The voice that spoke was a breathy whisper that crawled up your skin and devoured your dreams. "What I do is no one's business but my own."

The shapeshifter shrunk back in his seat slightly and replied, his own voice quavering. "You know Robin will have something to say about that."

"I will deal with him when the time comes," she hissed, black tendrils seething about her. What was she doing? It was just Gar. Why was she so… angry. _Focus, Raven, focus_, she breathed deep and closed her eyes.

The thought of someone trying to deny her the one thing she deserved, let alone wanted, unsettled something deep inside the empath. Something primeval, possessive; animalistic. It lurked and slithered in her shadows, fueled by the very calm she forced herself to be. Desire and Rage were emotions she kept locked away so deeply that if they ever saw even the shimmer of light, they ripped their way to the surface, taking the woman's control with them.

"Raven?" The soft concern in the woman's voice and her hesitant hand on Raven's shoulder help solidify the psion.

Her breath left her lips in a shudder, and with it died the shadows threatening to swallow them all into the abyss. _Jinx_.

"I'm…I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," Raven blinked lavender eyes, shifting uncomfortably. She absolutely hated it when she lost control.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," Gar apologized, hesitantly hopping over a row of seats. It wasn't often his teammate lost it, especially to this degree. "It just… you caught me off guard."

"You know, you're ruining my date," Jinx growled.

"I can't tell you how many times you and your buddies ruined my day," he barked back. "Is this just another one of your plans? You're going to win her over and then break her heart? Is it?" he bellowed, anger etched across his face. "She deserves better than that!"

"You're right; she deserves better than you and the Titans allow her," Jinx pushed right up against the green teen. "None of you understand her; none of you comprehend what she does day in and out for you, for this fucking city you protect!"

"And how would you know? You're nothing but a goddamn thief, how would you know what she does?"

"Because _**I**_ _**listen**_."

"Why don't you just shut up and mind your own-"

"_Enough!_" Raven snarled, echoing off the walls of the empty theatre. The two immediately grew silent and stared in considerable shock at the unusually loud and commanding outburst; Raven never raised her voice. The empath took a deep breath and slowly let it out, silently composing herself. "Neither of you are helping," Raven gestured vaguely.

Jinx backed away, stopping beside Raven as she took another deep breath.

"Raven, please. I just don't understand how you could even talk to her, let alone date her," Beast Boy ran his hands through his hair.

"Garfield, her name is Jinx and she's standing right here."

"She's still a criminal; I can't believe you're taking a chance on her."

"Really. Perhaps some people deserve second chances…you can not have possibly forgotten about Terra."

The changeling grew uncharacteristically silent, eyes downcast. No, he hadn't forgotten about the girl. Or how despite strong feelings, Raven had given the geomancer a second chance because he had asked her to. _Maybe she's right, Raven isn't one to give her trust away._ He looked up at the former Hive member as she obediently stood quietly next to Raven. _Maybe Jinx isn't all that bad…if not a little cute even. _

"Well…so what, are you a lesbian? Is that why every attempt I made was shot down?"

"No, I'm not a lesbian, that implies that I'm only attracted to girls," Raven pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"And…you're not," he thought back to Raven's last relationship; Malchior. He used Raven for his own selfish gains, and the changeling couldn't help but wonder if Jinx was doing the same. He tried to cast that thought from his mind. "So you're bi?"

"Sure, why not," she threw her hand up in the air. "Whatever you need to call it. I just like who I like, gender has nothing to do with it."

Beast Boy nodded his head and looked off for a moment in thought. Jinx and Raven exchanged glances quickly before turning and waiting for the shape-shifter's response. He scratched the back of his head and sighed.

"You're right, Raven. What you do on your time is your business; you have the right to do whatever makes you happy. If…Jinx makes you happy, then I trust you to take care of yourself in the situation. But I don't trust her just yet," he said honestly.

Raven smiled slightly at how grownup the clown could be when he really tried. "I respect that."

"What are you going to tell the others?" Beast Boy raised a brow as the three started walking towards the exit.

"Thank you for being so understanding." Raven gave the surprised boy a hug. Jinx clenched her jaw, narrowing her eyes at the attention the green boy was getting from her date. An idea crossed her mind and she spoke up.

"Hey Beast Boy, where's your date?" she looked around with a slightly confused look on her face, pleased to watch the expression on his face swoop from surprised to puzzled to worried.

"Oh my god I completely forgot! Sorry, gotta go," he waved as she sprinted off. Jinx smiled triumphantly.

"Well, that was unexpected," Raven heaved a heavy sigh and sat down on a cold steel bench outside the theatre; Jinx settled down beside her.

"You handled that really well," Jinx smiled and nudged the empath in the side.

Raven laughed abruptly. "No I didn't; I handled that horribly. Thank Azar no one else was in the theatre. They'd have nightmares for weeks."

"Okay, so you got a little upset," the feline chuckled. "I lost my temper too. It was a stressful situation, Raven. You keep yourself wound up so tight, slip-ups are bound to happen. I'm just trying to cope with you getting friendly back there," Jinx closed her eyes and smiled at the memory of sensations across her skin.

The half demon watched her silently for a moment. "I just…wanted to indulge."

"Then why do you sound ashamed about it?"

"Because, it was completely out of my control when I leaned over in my seat and touched you, bit you," Raven looked up into understanding coral eyes. "And I absolutely loved it."

Jinx smiled then, nudging the woman with her shoulder. "I get it, Raven. What do you say we get away from all these emo kids milling about?"

Raven looked up at the dark night sky, searching for the moon that was invisible below the horizon. She had a slinking feeling that Beast Boy would accidentally if not purposely tell Robin of his discovery at the theater. The leader would almost certainly have a problem her dating a girl; bad publicity for the team; and that it was a known criminal. She could imagine the lecture now…Not something that she particularly wanted to go home to. She smiled at the twinkling stars scattered about the abyss. _Might as well enjoy the evening while we have it._ "Sure, what do you want to do?"

"We could go for a walk," Jinx suggested as she adjusted her jacket.

"Where to?"

"It's more for the walk than the destination usually…" Jinx grinned. "I forget that you don't get out much."

Raven shot her a glare, and Jinx flashed a smile before hopping up and grabbing the dark Titan by the wrists. "Come on," she pulled the titan up and continued to drag her by one wrist for a few feet before Raven started walking on her own. "Lazy ass," she pushed her playfully and sprinted off across the parking lot towards the city.

"Why are you so weird?" Raven called out as she followed the crazed girl on foot.

"I'm weird? Hahahaha…" the maniacal laughter echoed in the crisp night air; a few people stared at the two disturbed girls chasing one another through the parking lot. Jinx ran out across an opening in the parked cars, having to immediately dodge around a blue Mustang that screeched to a stop; the driver laid on the horn, angrily gesturing with his hand.

"Jinx! Gods damnit, where are we going now?" Raven grumbled as she fought to keep up with the light-footed teen. They continued on past the outskirts of the parking lot and into the city.

Jinx slowed to a walk as she entered a partially deserted, low lit section of the street, and heard the footsteps of her date behind her. Pink lips curved up in a devious smirk, as she timed the rhythm of the steps. She spun around and leapt at Raven at the last moment, knocking the confused Titan backwards.

A second later, the empath felt a brick wall to her back and a warm, tone body pressed against her front, pinning her in place. "I uhm…"

Bright eyes shone pale pink in the dim light as the thief glowered and brought her face centimeters from Raven's. "What possessed you to pull such a stunt back there…" Jinx trailed a finger across the sliver of exposed skin between shirt and jeans; her captive inhaled sharply, half-heartily fighting her captor off. Large purple eyes held Jinx's in a deep gaze.

"Were you trying to drive me completely insane in the theater?" Hot breath teased the empath's neck, sending shivers across her cool skin. Sharp canines grinned; a predatory growl elicited a slight whimper from the Titan.

"Because you succeeded…" Jinx planted gentle kisses and nips across Raven's neck; her free hand slowly un-zipping the jacket that impeded her lips from reaching more soft flesh.

Raven squirmed as fingers traced up and down the sensitive skin on her side, biting her lip as she felt wet tongue across her collar bone, sending a surge of pleasure throughout. Jinx released her grip on the restrained arm and reached up to cradle Raven's face.

With a sudden grin, the empath shoved the sorceress away and slammed her into the adjacent wall. Jinx blinked in shock as she felt her arms pinned down; all thoughts were swept from her mind as a pair of soft lips pressed hungrily against her own. The feline drifted away in bliss for a few moments until Raven pulled back with a breath, ridding herself of the jacket that was restricting her movement. With a growl, Jinx snapped out of her trance and pushed Raven back, roughly restraining her against the cool brick.

"Cheat," the stoic girl pouted as best she could.

"Aww, you're so cute when you try to pout." Jinx's Cheshire cat grin; Raven looked up with submissive eyes. Immediately, Jinx focused on the Psion's lips, unable to look away. Her stomach knotted and an impatient feeling washed over her; a whine escaped as she bit her lip. A slight breeze played with a few strands of lilac hair; a glimmer in her violet eyes. Raven looked stunning. Their lips met once again in a gentle kiss. Predatory game forgotten, Jinx slipped her arms around the Titan's curvy hips. Raven wrapped herself around the thief's shoulders and neck as they pressed tightly in their embrace.

A low grumble broke the silence, and the two backed away from one another. Raven looked down at her complaining stomach with a slight blush. Jinx smiled "Don't they feed you at that tower of yours? Come on; let's go get you something to eat." Raven happily obliged as the two walked side by side down the walkway; every now and then their arms brushed against one another.

* * *

Cyborg yawned as he flipped through the channels on the couch. "Man, what time is it…" he looked at the digital clock on the DVD player; 12:46. "Whoa, I guess BB actually got it right this time." The cybernetic human chuckled to himself as he continued his bored channel surfing. The creaking of the front door caught his ear, and he sat up as Beast Boy strutted around the corner, spinning the keys to the car on his index finger; a huge grin was plastered across his face. "That means good things, right?"

"Dude, she laughed at my jokes, thought I looked 'nice', and I got a second date!" the green boy exclaimed, throwing his hands up happily as he collapsed on the couch. "Man, what a night…"

Cyborg arched an eyebrow. "You sure that's all that happened…sure you aren't neglecting to tell your best friend you got a little action?" Beast Boy flushed a bright red. "That's what I thought…"

"Dude, she's and awesome kisser."

"Well alright, high five for my man with the second date," Cyborg held up his massive palm and the two swapped high fives. "How's my baby, you didn't scratch her or get fry grease on the seats or anything, did you," Cyborg gave him a sideways glance as Beast Boy handed over the keys.

"She's just as I got her…man, does that last gear have some kick to it…"

"Yeah that's the turbo kicking—you went that fast?? You could have crashed her!"

"Because the car's more important than the two people inside…" He rolled his eyes and unbuttoned his gray shirt, hanging it over the back of the couch. Robin walked in with Starfire and they immediately spotted the elated boy.

"Hey Gar, did you just get in? That's impressive!"

"Oh yes, friend, please, tell us all about your date!" Starfire sat on the floor in front of him, knees pulled up to her chest, eagerly awaiting a story.

"Aww, it was nothing special. I went and picked her up, drove to that Italian place over by the business district, had a nice meal. Then we went to see a movie, Underworld Evolution…saw Raven there," He zoned out for a minute, then after noticing everyone staring at him he started getting nervous. "…uhm, then we went and got some ice cream, went to the park that over looks the bay and just walked around. Talked a bit, looked at the stars. Then I drove her home, got a second date and here I am."

"A second date? Wondrous Beast Boy, we must celebrate!" Starfire clapped happily and zoomed to the kitchen. Robin looked deep in thought for a moment, and sat on the arm of the couch.

"Raven was at the same movie as you?"

"Yep, sat two rows ahead of me and Erin," the changeling struggled with relieving himself of his shoes.

"She didn't go by herself did she?"

"No, she was with a friend." Beast Boy started to worry that he'd say something stupid. He grabbed the idle controller to the game station. "Anyone up for some racing?"

"This friend again, hm. Do I know him?"

"It's not a him." The shape-shifter cringed. _Shit, I'm getting myself trapped_. "Cyborg, come on, lets race."

"Naw man, I'm kinda sleepy. Think I'm going to go to bed," the massive teen stood and stretched before slowly heading to the doors. "Night, y'all." Starfire stuck her head out from the cupboard she was in.

"Friends, there seems to be a dearth of celebratory foods and supplies. Perhaps we shall go out for pizza tomorrow instead?"

"Sounds good to me," Beast Boy stared straight ahead at the screen, hoping, praying the leader would leave him alone about Raven. Robin settled down next to the boy on the couch and watched him play. Nothing but the clicking of the buttons on the controller was heard. Beast Boy grew nervous.

"You said she was out with a girl, do you know her? It seems kind of strange for Raven to be staying out so late with just a 'friend', especially since she lives in her room all the time," the boy wonder watched the game over sign blink a few times before picking up the second controller and starting a race with the green boy.

Beast Boy bit his lip; he hated lying to Robin, but he didn't want to do that to Raven. He didn't notice Robin staring at him. "Beast Boy, what aren't you telling me?"

"I…nothing."

"Gar, what? Is Raven in some kind of trouble? Did something happen?" Robin started to worry now, pausing the game and looking at the boy with a worried expression.

"No, she's not in trouble its just…God, why do I have to be the one to find out," he slammed a hand over his mouth. _Shit!_ "This friggen sucks!" he slumped in the plush chair, sulking.

"…Find out what?"

With a sigh, he turned at looked at the young leader. "Alright, when I was at the theater…"

* * *

"We should do this again some time, minus the getting caught bit," Jinx smiled as she walked to the waters edge.

"Yeah…I'll see our schedule for tomorrow night, maybe I can sneak out for a visit," Raven smiled.

"Sounds good to me," Jinx reached out and pulled the empath into a hug, nuzzling her neck gently. "Good luck with the guys," she planted a kiss on the pale girl's forehead. Raven smirked, leaning up and kissing the thief one last time on the lips before letting go and lifting off into the air.

"Thanks; see you later"

Jinx watched thoughtfully as the girl disappeared from sight. A huge grin spread across her face. _God I love that girl…_a gust of wind whipped past her and the former hive member pulled her jacket around her more tightly before turning and starting her walk home.

Raven pulled open the front door, slipped inside, and shut it as quietly as possible. The lights were all off aside for one up in the living room; she thought it odd. As Raven silently walked up the stairs to the main room, she had a bad feeling someone was waiting up for her. The motion sensors picked up her presence, and the doors slid open. As she wandered into the room, there, sitting on the kitchen chair staring at her, was a rather upset looking Robin. _Thanks a lot Beast Boy…_

"Take a seat, Raven, we have much to discuss."


	9. Hunter

**Chapter Nine: Hunter**

Jinx strolled down the sidewalk lost in thought. Her legs carried her towards her home in a subconscious command long since committed to memory. Nothing really mattered at the moment, aside from Jinx and her day dream. She smiled and sighed, looking up at the stars.

* * *

Raven scowled at the frowning teen before her. Robin still hadn't spoken, just continued his furrowed-brow stare at the empath. The silence was annoying the girl and she turned to leave. "Apparently you've nothing to say."

"Sit down, Raven," Robin said in an assertive tone.

"I don't take orders from you," she snapped. "You may lead this team, but you've no authority over me."

"And you have a responsibility to the team just as I do," he snapped back. "What are you doing, Raven? I mean, what you do in your personal life is your choice, but we don't have the luxury of privacy. People notice things."

"What are you upset about?" She remained standing, arms folded across her chest.

He stared at her for a moment in silence. "Don't play games with me; I'm really not in the mood."

"But games are so much fun. Like the one we're playing right now."

He tapped his index finger on the table in an irritated gesture. "I have never pried, never asked you where you went or what you did. I trusted you because you have always been a responsible, smart person. But going on a date with a veteran criminal makes me think otherwise."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "I think I have done more than enough to prove that my trust isn't easily won," she growled.

Robin frowned and ran a hand through his hair. Fighting with Raven was never a good idea, and the last thing he wanted at the moment. "This just doesn't settle well with me, you must understand this puts you and the team in a tense position."

"Everything I do puts the team in a tense position, Richard. I might as well try to enjoy life while I have it," the empath seethed, desperately trying to control her anger.

"You're taking this the wrong way—"

"Is it because she's a criminal or a woman, Richard?"

"What?"

"Answer the question."

Robin glared at her from his seat at the table, hands working into fists before him. "I just don't trust her, Raven. This seems too convenient."

"Oh bloody hell," the woman scoffed. "You are not my mother. Let me fight my own battles."

"What if she's deceiving you?"

"Then I guess I'll get my heart broken," she stated dryly, eyes locked with Robin's. "This isn't really an issue; you're making it into one. Stop being protective and start being my friend."

With that he sighed, defeated. He stood to leave. "I just don't want to be the one to say 'I told you so'."

"Don't kid yourself, you love saying I told you so."

He shook his head and laughed half-heartedly. "Goodnight, Raven."

"Mmhmm," she watched him leave. Once he was gone, she sighed in relief and put the kettle on the stove. As the water warmed, she played with a spoon between her forefinger and thumb. _That went better than planned_._ I'll have to remember to thank Beast Boy for alerting everyone…_she narrowed her eyes as the kettle screamed on the stove top.

* * *

The sound of police sirens snapped Jinx from her daze. Confusion quickly took over and she looked around franticly, trying to take in her surroundings. Pink eyes focused on the building across the street; a horrible feeling washed over her. Several police cars surrounded her apartment; her black door stood wide open. Immediately she took cover behind a dumpster in the alley, watching as police walked in and out, confiscating her television, DVD player, and all her valuables. Infuriated that someone had narked on her, she took off down the alley towards the Phoenix Café.

Making sure to stay hidden, she traversed the streets and came to a stop before a fast food burger restaurant. She let herself in the back door. The place was empty aside from one sleepy-eyed girl at the register and a guy in the back. She crept up behind him as he was cleaning the grill and grabbed his collar, slamming him into the adjacent wall. Eric stared back wide-eyed.

"You called the cops on me?" she growled through gritted teeth, pressing hard against his throat.

"What…are you…t-talking about?" He managed to gasp out. She loosened her grip and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I was on my way home after a nice evening to find cops trashing my apartment. They got all of my electronics and god knows what else. Obviously someone tipped them off," she narrowed her eyes.

"Come on, like I would do that to you," Eric frowned. Jinx let him go and slumped down on an overturned bucket, letting out an aggravated whine.

"I'm trying, so hard, to think of who would have tipped them off," she stared blankly at the greasy tile floor. "I've been careful, cautions, never left a trail. But something either caught up with me or I've threatened someone. Why they'd feel that way, I have no idea, I'm trying to get out of this business," she buried her face in her hands.

"Do you need a place to stay for a while?" Eric asked as he pulled over a stool and sat across from her.

"That's very sweet but you live across from me. It's not exactly intelligent to hang around the scene…"

He scratched his head at the stupid thought and rested his chin on his fist. "You think it was your girl or one of the other Titans?" he said after a moment.

A hurt expression washed over her. "It couldn't have been her; she wouldn't. But I can't say the same for the others." She sighed and scratched her eyebrow, thinking. Silence took over.

After a few minutes Eric stood up. "Well, you can sit here and sulk or you can act like the feisty Jinx I know and go kick some ass," he smiled.

"Oh, there most definitely will be ass-kicking in the near future. But first, I need to go see some people," she stood and headed for the door.

"Jinx—" he called out as her fingers graced the doorknob. She paused and looked back at Eric. "Please be careful."

She smiled and walked up to him, enveloping him in a hug. "Sorry about almost collapsing your trachea back there."

He smiled warmly, returning the hug. "Eh, no worries. You can't do any more damage than the cigarettes."

Jinx pulled back and thumbed a grease stain on the front of her jacket. "Gross...now I'll smell like French fries."

He grinned and picked up his spatula. "Hey, the ladies dig that smell…" he raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Har har…" Jinx rolled her eyes and gave a wave before slipping out the door. She sighed and started her long trek back to the tower, going through all the things she had in her apartment. Thankfully she had kept her cash from the heist in her pocket, so she had money. Her clothes would be missed but easily replaced. She bit her lip; she had left her communicator on the table. That certainly was in custody now. _How could I be so stupid…? _She thought back to Raven and her forgotten com. _Well if she's not the one who busted me, she'll get a laugh out of this._ Jinx was wearing her combat boots which were reliable and sturdy, and her black cargo pants would do until she could get her skirts back. She had her comfortable nylon jacket that kept her dry and warm, so she was well prepared for the moment but none the less irritated.

Her reflection in the window of a store made her chuckle aloud. The sight of her hair hanging down along her shoulders seemed so wrong. After digging around in her pockets, she found two black bands and quickly returned her hair to its normal state.

_Okay, let's see…no need to panic, or anything. I've only just lost all of my possessions and probably have a warrant out for my arrest…everything's gonna be just fine…_She grumbled and headed for the peninsula where her raft was stashed. Thankfully she was wise and kept that useful item where it was needed.

After a long walk through the shadowed section of the city, Jinx came to rest on a rock near the waters edge. Tired and a little hungry, she stared at the Tower. "Crap…How the hell am I going to get to her?" She had returned the grappling gear to Mammoth, so that left one option that Jinx would have rather avoided. As she launched her little boat, she thought of ways to get into the tower. By the time she had reached the other shore, none of said ideas where realistic. She started laughing as she picked up a stone and looked skyward to the window of her raven. _This should totally work…_ She hurtled the stone towards her target and laughed even harder as it fell short by about fifty feet, clattering against the steel before tumbling back to the ground.

* * *

Raven finished her tea and set the mug on her desk. It was a little after two in the morning yet she was wide awake. With nothing better to do she headed up for the roof. The cool night air gently toyed with her hair as she settled down on the edge of the roof, looking at the stars. Her mind wandered back to the more intimate moments of the evening. Every aspect of her life from before she bumped into Jinx seemed like years in the past. She shook her head. _It's only been two days_…

Suddenly a loud clank rang out and she frowned for a moment, listening. There was a low sound, its riant echoing in the darkness. _That sounds like…laughing. Who is out here at this hour_? Raven looked over the edge to see the deserted rocky shore below. But still the laughing continued, it was almost hysteric; as if someone snapped from years of stress and was throwing all caution to the wind. She moved to the next side, continuing to look down for the source of the sound. Nothing. She crossed to the opposite side and peered into the gloom. Straining her eyes she could barely make out a figure slumped on the ground, laughing alone. _Is that…Jinx_?

Jinx sat on the cold pebbles, flicking the little rocks across the ground. Her laughter had died down and now she sat in solemn silence. She didn't know what to do. Once again she was on the run from the law, this time with no idea why. Ironically she wandered to the people that would eventually come looking for her. How had she given in so easily to Raven? She jeopardized her strained, pathetic attempt at a balanced life to be with the Titan. Now that she was a fugitive, she jeopardized Raven. Jinx cared for the girl far too much; she couldn't put the empath in such a position. Where did that leave her then?

"Sitting here sulking, apparently."

Jinx whipped around to see Raven standing behind her with a sad smile.

"Jinx, what happened?" She sat down and scooted beside the sorceress.

"I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me," Pink eyes stared dully into Raven's. "Did you or the other's tip the cops off about my apartment?"

Raven furrowed her brow and shook her head, "No…did they show up there?"

"Yep…"

"Jinx, I'm the only one that knows where you live and I certainly didn't tell Robin."

"I believe you," the sorceress smiled slightly. "But someone did. They were there confiscating my things when I got there; managed to hide before anyone noticed. They got all my electronics and my communicator."

"…Was all of that stuff stolen?"

"Actually, no. I've been saving up to buy my things. I've been working at the Phoenix Café for a few months now. Trying to get out of my theft career. That heist was going to be my last one," she mumbled.

Raven smiled at the effort Jinx had been making to do right for herself. She slipped her arm around the girl and pulled her close. "I didn't know that; I'm sorry Jinx. I'll talk to the police and see what I can do—"

"You don't have to, it's my fault. I suppose my karma's caught up with me finally," she sighed and rested her head on the Titan's shoulder. Raven kissed Jinx's cheek lightly and the other girl smiled, nuzzling the empath's neck. They sat in silence, enjoying each other's company and the soothing sound of the ocean tide lapping at the shore.

After a long while Raven spoke up. "Do you have any idea who might have blown your cover?"

Jinx dug her heel into the stones and scowled. "No. But I plan on finding out," she stood. "Oh, how did the boss man take the news?"

"He's alright with it... Jinx, where are you going?" The empath looked up at the feline with a worried expression. Jinx straightened her jacket and cracked her knuckles.

"I'm going hunting."


	10. Crystal Clear

**Chapter Ten: Crystal Clear**

"Did you have any problems finding the apartment?" a deep, smooth voice spoke through the receiver.

"No, and we can't thank you enough for the tip. We've been looking for her for months. It's only a matter of time before we find her now," said an officer as he scribbled down in an evidence log.

"My pleasure." The line went dead. The officer hung up the phone and glanced around the room at the confiscated goods. His eyes fell on the yellow hexagonal communicator resting in a clear plastic bag. He picked up the device, running his thumb over the large 'H' on the cover.

The HIVE had been taken down the year prior, but a few operatives still managed to elude the authorities. Jinx had become their main concern; she was far more subtle and dangerous then her few remaining teammates. Two days earlier Gizmo was caught; Mammoth was MIA and Private Hive on the run. A few others were out there somewhere. _Soon_, he thought. _They can't hide forever._ He tossed the communicator into a cardboard box and continued logging articles in his book.

* * *

Jinx sat atop a rock on the outskirts of town, watching the sun rise. She had spent a restless few hours sitting there; sleep wasn't essential. There was too much to plan, to do; she couldn't waste time napping and risk getting caught. The early morning rays shone across the city, casting shadows and swirls of color. Her pupils narrowed to slits against the intense light, and she looked away with a sigh. _Time to get to work_.

Raven had insisted on letting her help…more like said she _was_ helping. Jinx managed to get the stubborn empath to stay at the tower to check with the police and let her go off in search of her prey alone. She scooted off the rock and started walking towards south side. _I need to check on the guys. I hope they are alright_. She furrowed her brow at the thought of her lost communicator. It would be almost impossible to find them without it.

An hour later Jinx crept closer to the guy's apartment building; her eyes darted back and forth, waiting for the ambush; searching for a trap. She hated the exposure daylight brought. Cursing under her breath she sprinted across the road and dashed up the steps. A pale blue door stood at the end of the second floor. _No sign of forced entry_, her expression brightened. The sorceress raised her fist to knock but paused, her jaw going slack. The wind gently blew the door on its creaky hinges; it slowly opened. _Oh no… _She bit her lip and pushed the door open the remaining distance and peered inside.

Empty. Everything was gone. She searched through the front room, only finding a few empty soda bottles and a broken cardboard box. Jinx scratched her brow and looked around. A few nails stuck out of the walls where something was once hung. In the kitchen the refrigerator stood silent. The cupboards were empty, and only a few plastic forks hid in a drawer. She headed to the back room where Gizmo had his tech unit set up. Indents in the dirty white carpet told where a desk and shelving unit once stood. Countless outlets were scattered about the walls, yet nothing remained. The connected bedroom belonged to Seemore, but he had just recently moved in as Private Hive moved out. The Cyclops had nothing more than a bed and some clothes. All were missing. She growled and slammed the door.

Jinx flicked on a switch in the next room and looked around Mammoth's area. Most of his stuff remained in broken states. The mattress was missing but the frame was cracked and shoved against the wall. The goliath's desk was covered in small boxes that had been quickly sorted through and dumped. His closet stood open with most of his clothes gone. Jinx also noted that a nylon bag was missing. _He left in a hurry, only taking the essentials_. She spotted a bright red sack on the floor of the closet and grinned. The grappling gear would be useful, and she slung the bag over her shoulder. _What else can I borrow…_

She pocketed a small knife from the desk and looked over the rest of the junk. Everything from small tools to nuts and bolts filled the boxes. Her eyes went wide at the sight of something bright yellow showing through a pile of power cords. She pushed aside the wires and smirked. It was a communicator, but not one of the HIVE's. She remembered the day they had snagged the Titan com unit; they had celebrated with the rest of her schoolmates. _It seems so long ago…_

Frowning, she flicked open the device and held down the power button. _Come on, please work_, she willed. The screen flickered a dull blue and begrudgingly turned on. Static ran across blinking command letters. A smile spread across her lips; she could reconfigure it to find the others. Slipping the com into her pocket, Jinx snagged a small tool kit out of one of the boxes before heading for the door.

The sun had risen a fair amount and people bustled about their morning routine. In order to remain inconspicuous, she took down her hair and slipped on a pair of sunglasses. _Yep, look how inconspicuous I am now. No one will notice the hot pink hair. Nope… _She adjusted the bag and thought of where to go next. Eric's place was out, the guy's were nowhere to be found; surely the cops would look for her at work. Who wanted her out of commission? She thought back to all the people she had ever stolen things for. Slade wouldn't waste his time with her. Brother Blood was long gone. The few civilian clients had either left town or were far too stupid to think of framing her.

Making sure to glance around casually, the feline wandered down the street. Traffic had started and people grumbled as they waited for the stand-still cars to move. She cut across an opening between a large truck and a sports car, eyeing up the sleek speed machine with a grin before scolding herself. _Stop it, you're trying to go legit, remember_? After a few blocks she found herself in the dilapidated park in the middle of the district. No on was around and she settled down at t picnic table.

"Alright, let's see if we can get this to work…" digging in her pockets she retrieved the communicator and the tools and laid them on the table top. _Hmm…_ An index finger poked the back of the device. A few seconds later she had carefully removed the panel and looked over the circuitry. _And I have no idea what I'm looking at…where's the little nerd when I need him_, she grumbled, noticing a slight crack in one of the chips. She realigned it as best she could, also securing a loosely connected wire before flipping the com over and turning it on.

The quality of the image had improved greatly; only a few lines of static remained. She smiled and reattached the panel. Turning her attention to the command blinking on the screen, she stared blankly.

**-Sign In-**

Who had they stolen this from? The girl wracked her brain for any recollection. It wasn't Robin's, Cyborg's was built into his arm, she doubted it was Starfire's, and Raven's com was too beat up to be new. That left Beast Boy or any of the other honorary Titans. She furrowed her brow and typed in the changeling's name.

**-Incorrect-**

_Alright…how about Raven_?

**-Incorrect-**

Jinx glared at the beeping device. _Stop being so difficult_. She typed in every Titan she could think of, none of them appeasing the stubborn communicator. Frustrated she slammed the device down on the table and growled. As if just to spite her, the screen blinked red and turned off. "Damnit!"

Raven impatiently drummed her fingers on the table, rolling her eyes at the hold music blasting from the speaker. Some rookie had answered the phone and the psion had no time for incompetence. He had lasted a record eleven seconds on the phone before he ran off. After a few moments there was a click and a scruffy voice cleared his throat. "This is Lieutenant Williams, how can I-"

"This is Raven from the Titans. I'm looking for information on a recent bust," she droned out coldly.

"Oh, hello Ms. Raven. What bust are you talking about?" he asked.

"Have you recently visited apartment 22 of the East District Apartments in the business district?"

"Yes m'am. We got a tip that a former HIVE member lived there. We confiscated everything and have set up a watch for her return."

"Do you know who called in the tip?" she stared out the window.

"The man called from a pay phone, so there's no telling who it is."

"Who lived in that apartment?" Raven sat down at the computer station and switched on the screen.

"That would be the infamous 'Jinx'. You know the one; crazy pink hair, cat eyes, bad attitude. She's one of the top thieves in the city. Personally I can't wait to have the little punk in jail," he scoffed. Shuffling of papers was heard.

Raven resisted the urge to thrash the officer for speaking about her girlfriend in such a way. _Wait…girlfriend_? She shrugged it off and narrowed her eyes. "What are the grounds for the warrant?"

"Oh lets see…" the officer looked through some forms. Raven idly toyed with the computer, checking the com systems to see if anyone had anything to say. A blinking dot caught her attention. "…I've got vandalism, theft, kidnapping-"

"But all of those are for crimes in the previous years, correct?" Raven raised a brow. There was an active com unit that was thought to be long destroyed.

More shuffling of papers. "From the looks of it. She's been off the radar for about eleven months now."

"Why the sudden interest in her if she's been behaving herself? There are plenty of other criminals lurking about; she's probably long gone by now anyway." The empath tried opening a connection with the communicator.

"But she's within our grasps now. There are so few HIVE members left, the quicker we get them off the streets, the better."

"True, but it would be a waste of manpower to go looking for a rogue thief with meta-human abilities. She's far too dangerous and she's not stupid enough to fall into your traps."

"Look, I'm just trying to do my job-"

"And so am I. You'll eventually ask the Titans to join the search and our time is better spent else where, on active threats," Raven snapped.

"Yes m'am but—"

"I don't understand why there is such a desire to hunt down people when there are crimes happening right in front of your station. Fight the battles you can win, Lieutenant. Don't bother calling the Titans on this one." She hung up the phone, turning all her attention to the connection. _I could have handled that better…Come on, connect…connect…_ A beep alerted her to the completion of the direct link and she smiled.

* * *

A sudden beeping startled Jinx; she stared at the com unit in confusion. Was someone calling it? She cautiously flipped open the screen and saw a grinning half-demon.

"I wondered who stole this communicator…" her voice came through a little crackled but clear enough.

Jinx smirked. "Well I'd like to take the credit but it wasn't me. How did you get this thing to work? It was refusing to do anything."

"It's an older model, and was only ever used as a guest unit. It will still receive calls even when not signed in; you just can't make a call."

_Guest. Duh…I'm an idiot_. The sorceress shook her head. "Well, how do I sign in this thing?"

"Type 'guest'…"

"That's retarded! How could you prevent people like me from getting into it with something so simple?"

"Well apparently…"

"Oh, shut-up," she grumbled.

Raven smirked before returning to her normal emotionless stare. "Any luck out there?"

Jinx frowned. "The guy's place was deserted. Mammoth's stuff was still there, I think he left in a hurry. I mean, even the front door was left open."

Raven frowned. "Well I talked to the Lieutenant, he said some man called in from a pay phone and gave your address. He seemed a little excited about it, but aside from having cops watch your apartment, they haven't done anything else to look for you."

"That's good news to me. Hey, is there any way I can change this frequency to run on the HIVE's old one? I'm trying to get in touch with anyone," Jinx rested her head on her hand as she leaned across the table.

"You should be able to, but I wouldn't know how to go about that."

"Alright, thanks anyway. I'm gonna get back to looking," Jinx narrowed her eyes.

"Be careful," Raven pleaded.

"Always." Jinx shut the com and opened it again. The screen asked for her to sign in and she made a face, typing in 'guest'. The screen blinked green and sent her to a menu. _Ha! Take that! Anyway…_she fiddled with the settings for a few minutes and typed in Mammoth's call number. Crossing her fingers, she pressed 'send.'

"Who is this?" Mammoth's face filled the screen.

"Hey, it's Jinx, what happened to you guys? The apartment was empty."

"Man, I wondered what happened to you. Someone tipped off the cops. They got Gizmo, Jinx. Seemore got away without the cops seeing him, but Hive has been on the run and I'm not even in Jump anymore."

"Shit," Jinx ran a hand through her hair. "Someone called in on me too. Alright, I'm going to get to the bottom of this. If you can, tell the guys I'm alright."

"Right," he nodded. "Wait…are you using a Titan's com?"

"I snagged it off your desk, along with a few other things."

"That old thing? I thought it didn't work. Hm…well I'd rather you have that stuff than the cops," he grinned. "Take care, Jinx."

"Bye, Baran." Jinx shut the device and slipped it into her pocket. As she meandered across south side, she went through all the possible people again and again. _Maybe I should check in with Wick_. The twenty year old was also a thief, but he worked his skill without ever leaving his computer lab. He lived on the north side of town and was usually well informed on everything going on in the City of Jump. She headed north.

Around noon she had finally crossed over to north side. With the sun shining and uphill walk, the feline was parched and tired. Still she pressed on; sheer determination wouldn't allow rest until the person responsible paid. Trying to get her bearings, she didn't notice an elderly woman shuffling down the sidewalk. Jinx bumped into the woman as she spun around, nearly knocking her to the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry, are you alright?" she asked in genuine concern, pulling off her sunglasses.

"Yes deary, I'm fine." The woman straightened her coat and adjusted her purse. "I may be old, but I'm not fragile," she smiled pale yellow teeth. "Oh my, you've such pretty eyes!"

Jinx blushed. "Thanks. Most people think they're…creepy."

"Pish-posh, people don't know what they are talking about these days. Thank you for the politeness; it's nice to see young people caring. Have a nice day, now," she waved and continued her slow pace down the walkway. Jinx raised a brow and stared. Nothing like that had ever happened to the sorceress before; she was filled with an odd feeling.

"Jesus, you're going to make me sick," a voice spoke from behind. Jinx turned and spotted a tall, lanky fellow leaning against a rod iron fence. His hair was dyed a shocking shade of green and stood up in random clumps of spikes. A pair of steel framed glasses adorned his sky-blue eyes. He wore a white t-shirt under a red motorcycle jacket. His pants were black and full of holes; his shoes faded and worn.

Jinx smirked and shook her head. "Hey, Wick."

"I mean. Damn. What happened to the Jinx I knew a year ago? That bad-ass would trample an old lady for the fun of it."

"She grew up. You still look skinny as hell. Why don't you take some of that money and spend it on food instead of a new computer upgrade?"

"Pff, my baby comes first," he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked beside the shorter girl. "So what are you doing on this side of town anyway?"

"Oh, I'm just in a little bit of trouble…"

"So, you're in deep shit."

"Basically," Jinx laughed a little.

"How deep?"

"Someone tipped the cops off, they found my apartment and took everything I own, warrant for my arrest and all that fun stuff. I'm just a little pissed about all of it," she glowered.

"That totally blows. Now I'm guessing you're looking to me for any info on the criminals across this city?"

"You read my mind."

He grinned. "Well, right this way. I'll show you Veronica."

"…You don't get out much, do you?"

"Hey, lots of people name their computers," he huffed as he dug in his pockets and pulled out his keys. Jinx followed Wick through a rickety wooden fence and came to a halt at a steel garage door.

"You still live in your parent's garage…"

"Hell no, they moved to south side a few months ago. I took over and rent the place out to sucker college kids for top dollar." He slid the key in the side door and they walked inside. "Like what I've done to the place?" he gestured around. Along the back wall was a set of cupboards, a sink and stove. A fridge rested in one corner, a shower and toilet in the other. The floor was carpeted in grey; a mattress and box spring rested along the side wall served as a bed, and the remaining spaced was filled with a huge crescent desk, covered in computer hard drives, monitors, and cords.

"It's…charming…"

"And this," he sat in a leather swivel chair before a huge flat screen monitor hanging on the wall, "is Veronica. Isn't she a beauty?" He ran his finger across the wireless keyboard and sighed.

"When you're finished with this magical moment, let me know."

"Hey now, no need to be a smart ass." Wick slipped off his jacket and cracked his knuckles. "Alright, what am I looking for exactly?"

"Anything you can get on major thieves that might want me out of commission," she sat on a stool beside the green-haired man, staring at his possessed fingers eating up keys. _Damn, he types fast_.

"I'm seeing nothing out of the ordinary here," pale blue eyes scanned the screen. "There are just the normal call-outs, uhm…people looking for thieves."

"I know the lingo," she said flatly.

"Oooo, there's a couple of big hitters out and about too," his eye's went wide for a second. "Damn…they're looking for some pretty heavy stuff. You might be interested-"

"I'm trying to get out of this, Wick." He stared at her for a long moment.

"What, exactly, would cause such a change of heart in someone as stubborn as yourself?" he peered over his glasses at her.

"A lot of things that I don't have the time to tell. I'm rather preoccupied with finding the snake that ratted me out. He and I have much to discuss," she clenched her jaw.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes; idiot must not know what you're capable of…" Wick continued his fervent typing. "Have you been hanging out with any shady characters lately?"

She shook her head. "No, I tend to stay away from that variety." Growling she rubbed the back of her neck. _Think. Think. Who would do this? It's probably the last person I'd expect…gah, too many people to think about now…_

"Well, no one here seems to want anything to do with you. Give me a sec and I'll hack into the police profile system and see what they've got on you…" three seconds later, "got it. Here's your record…" he whistled.

"Yeah…I've done a lot…" she frowned. "Oh but good times…and bad. Mostly bad…"

"Shall I tidy it up for you? Now, I normally change a shit load for this, but for a friend in need; it's on the house," he smiled.

"Well, I don't know…" she bit her lip. _Maybe just one more illegal activity…_ "ah, hell, why not. Go for it," she grinned.

After finding no more information, she said goodbye to Wick and headed back towards south side. Around five in the evening she groaned and sat down on a rusty bench outside a coffee shop, having made no progress for almost twelve hours of work. The smell made her stomach grumble impatiently. _I've no time for food_, she glared across the street at the seemingly closed clothing store with the bright red door. Quickly recognizing the structure, something inside her flustered mind clicked into place.

_Son of a bitch…_


	11. Play Dead

**Chapter Eleven: Play Dead**

Jinx stared at the worn red door across the street; the grimy eye slot; the barred windows protecting the emptiness beyond the glass. Slowly she shook her head from side to side, clenching her jaw. Why didn't she realize this before? Deception was one of her fortes and yet she allowed herself to get too comfortable with someone that deceived her. It had to be Luke. Infuriated for making such a foolish mistake, she sat on the bench brooding over what to do next. Running in blindly would be the amateur's first and last mistake. She, however, was a veteran thief; quick, silent, and deadly. Pink eyes pictured the large man with beady eyes looming behind the door; his dirty wife beater; the tacky gold chain. She imagined his motionless body sprawled on the filthy floor.

Narrowing her eyes, she stood. Slinging the red bag over her shoulder, she crossed the street. After casting a glace around for spying eyes, she knocked twice and waited. The slot drudged open and the beady eyes peered out at her. "I'm here to see a guy," she stared aggressively at the man behind the door. He slid the slot shut and slowly un-locked the door.

"I take it you're here to see Luke again," he grumbled.

"Yeah, I am," turning on her heel she headed for the stairs, descending them two at a time. She paused at the bottom of the steps, fixing her eyes on the steel door standing silently at the end of the hallway. Thoughts swirled around and around in her mind. Should she charge in, orbs flying? Perhaps lull him into opening the door with a trademark smile? Or should she let him know right away that if he doesn't open the door she'll blast the wall down? What is she was wrong? What if Luke wasn't the one? She bit her lip and glared at a pebble on the floor. Which course of action is the wisest when so many possibilities are left to the unknown?

_Alright, relax. Calm down. Just get inside and adapt to how things go_. She took a deep breath and held it, slowing down the maelstrom of her mind. Pink eyes snapped open; she silently walked up to the door and knocked.

The slot opened and emerald eyes met hers. "Jinx…what a pleasant surprise." The voice had a hint of unease that suggested just the opposite.

"I just wanted to stop by for a little chat," she faked a rather convincing smile.

"Hm…fair enough," his eyes smiled. "The password?"

She stared hard into his eyes. _I swear to god, I'm going to kill you_. "Meow," she winked. His chuckle resonated down the hall as he opened the heavy door and gestured her inside. The girl settled down in the same chair she sat in just two days prior, propping her boots up on his low glass coffee table.

He eyed her feet on his table with slight annoyance but said nothing. Instead he wandered to the bar and poured himself a drink. "So, what would you like to talk about?"

"What do you _do_, exactly, Luke?" she glared at the back of his head. He finished and headed to the chair opposite her.

"Why do you ask?"

"Curious."

"You know what they say about cats and curiosity…"

"Don't be cute," an artificial smile hid her blunt seriousness.

He took a sip of his drink and ran his middle finger around the edge of the glass. "Obviously I'm a middle man. I take what thieves bring me, pay them, and sell it back to companies or provide larger firms with goods. I just pass along the loot."

"And…what do you do from the civilian's perspective?"

"You mean do I have a front? I do."

"That being?"

"I just own a few coffee shops here and there."

Jinx's blood ran cold. She had never disclosed her address to anyone, aside from Raven and the Café; the application required it. _He owns the Phoenix Café…that's why he's always there and why he knew where I lived. Damnit, I should have put a fake address! _She scratched her brow and leaned across the table on her elbows. "Really. Coffee shops? That's very clever…any I know?"

Luke eyed the girl for a moment. Something about this visit and her calm attitude was eerily disturbing. Had she figured it out? Was she just confused? Regardless, he didn't like the odds that were stacking against him. This girl was notoriously wicked when it came to battle, and he knew he didn't stand a chance against her. Nonchalantly he leaned back in the chair, his fingers blindly running down the side, searching for a small button; they depressed it a moment later.

"Oh, lets see…There's the one across the street, the Blue Moon in north side, and the Phoenix Café in the business district." He watched her intently for any subtle changes.

Jinx remained calm and collected. "You own the Phoenix Café? I didn't know that. You know I work there."

"Really? I must never be there when you're working," he drank the glass dry, shaking the ice cubes slowly as they clattered in the bottom. "Small world."

"Hm." Jinx looked up at the taller man as he stood. "I know it was you," she whispered deathly quiet. They stared at one another in silence. Everything was confirmed by the look on his face. Jinx narrowed her eyes, clenching her jaw. Luke's gaze drifted to something behind the seated sorceress. Instantly a feeling of dread shot through her. She snapped around just in time to meet the butt of pistol; it struck the side of her head with a sickening thud.

She slammed to the ground, feeling the cold tile hard against her cheek. A cacophony of screams and dissonance echoed inside her head; she fought to sit up. _…jesus…fuck…_ Squinting her eyes to focus, she pressed her palms on the floor. The limbs fumbled in incoherent attempts to answer her commands. A trickle of warmth oozed down her temple and she groaned, angrily clawing across the floor on her stomach towards the open door.

"Sorry about that, Jinx," he walked over and squatted down in front of her, stopping her pathetic attempt at escape. "But I couldn't have you killing me."

She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't conjure the words to say. She settled for a livid glower; holding her head up defiantly against the writhing pain.

"You want to know why…purely business, my dear. Nothing personal. In fact I hate to see an attractive girl like you bleeding on the floor, but what my boss says, goes." Luke motioned for the assailant to back off; Jinx heard him shuffle over to the bar. "You're just too goddamn good, Jinx. You out-do every thief on the street, and drive them out of town in search of greener pastures. And then you suddenly stop and the import of stolen goods stalls."

Each breath was growing slower; her mind faded in and out as she tried desperately to get up, to wield her powers. But the blow was skillfully placed; she was helplessly trapped.

"And what do you think you are accomplishing by going legit? How long do you think that will last before the primal hunger drives you to the streets once again? I've seen the gleam in your eyes, child. You love the thrill of the heist." When she said nothing, Luke shook his head and stood. "Pour me another drink, Karl."

_I need…help…_she slowly moved her hand to her pocket, her fingers gracing the plastic shell of the communicator. Concentrating, she managed to flip the cover open in her pocket without alerting attention. She visualized the key pad in her mind. Raven's call number was 40624. Numbly, she punched in what she hoped were the correct buttons before clicking the alert button on the side. Silently she willed the call would make it to the girl.

Luke spoke but Jinx heard little as her vision grew dark and foggy. _Please…Raven…_ Sheer will kept her lucid despite the unconsciousness reaching at her mind. Things slowed down, moving half a step behind their actual speed. She stared sideways at the two men talking at the bar. For the first time she saw the man who had struck her down. He was tall and built, with stark black hair and pale gray eyes. She had never seen him before, but would never forget his face. Blood dripped off her cheek, spattering the floor. She didn't know how long she could hold on.

"Well my dear, you stay put while I make this very important call," Luke laughed before flipping out his cell. After someone answered on the other end, he grinned. "I've got her…"


	12. An Echo, a Stain

**Chapter Twelve: An Echo, a Stain**

A frantic beeping startled Raven. She yanked the com unit from her belt and stared at the screen in confusion.

**-ALERT-10.14.24.-ALERT-10.14.24.-ALERT-12.11.05.-**

She had never seen anything like that before. Their communicators never showed the numerical code for anything, it displayed images and text. What did that mean? Obviously the message was an emergency, but coming from who? Deep down she knew it had to be Jinx. Frowning, she tried to locate the girl's com unit.

**-Invalid com. no.-**

She stared with brow raised. They just had a conversation a few hours ago; it _was_ a valid com number. _Something happened to the communicator, that's all. Must be malfunctioning. Jinx is fine._ Raven took one last look at the screen before securing it to her belt as she settled back at the computer. A nagging feeling brought out the communicator a few seconds later. _Alright, let's try this agai-_

**-ALERT-10.14.24.-ALERT-10.14.24.-ALERT-12.11.05.-**

_I know!_ She glowered. There had to be a meaning behind the numbers, she reasoned. Three sets of two digits, and then another set of two digits, three in a row. The numbers couldn't be dates. They also didn't go above twenty five. And, why would she put a zero in front of the five? _Why did the unit change the text…_The empath blinked. _They stand for letters!_ She shook her head. Jinx had typed out a message in a shorthanded code.

Violet eyes scanned the glowing blue screen as she counted off the numbers in place of letters. J…N…X. Obviously, Jinx. Though the fact that the girl abbreviated her already short name made her worry. _Something must have happened_; she bit her lip, moving to the second set. L…K…E. _LKE? _Raven furrowed her brow, burrowing through memories from the previous days. _L…L…gods, whose name starts with a bloody L?_ She growled and slammed the unit shut. She closed her eyes as she soul-self materialized around her before she vanished.

* * *

Fading cotton candy eyes blinked dully. Detached from actuality, the sorceress faded in and out of her grim reality on the cold stone floor. Her limbs were no longer responding; her mind played cruel tricks. Jinx was left with only a small dark room in her twisted mind where she screamed at the top of her lungs. How could she have been so stupid? Why did she let this happen? She had bloody meta-human abilities, for fuck sake! In reality, not a single word spilled from her lips.

Something nudged her side. A pathetic groan was all she could muster as she strained to look to see what it was. Luke hovered over her with a cell phone to his ear, prodding her ribcage with his booted foot.

"No sleeping, you might not wake up. And we wouldn't want that," he chuckled, kicking away the red bag containing her collected gear.

The laughter echoed inside her head like glass shattering down a flight of steel steps. If she weren't so incapacitated, Luke wouldn't be laughing; she narrowed her eyes. Her wound throbbed and oozed, staining her pale skin a deep vermillion. _Get up_, she willed. _**Get up**_, she commanded. Her arms twitched, slowly writhing their way beneath her. With a grunt she managed to lift her weight and wobbled slightly, preparing to stand.

Suddenly, a booted foot slammed her down onto her stomach, knocking the breath from her. She gasped for air, desperately trying to crawl away from her attacker, scrapping her cheek on the stone floor. Two strong arms ripped her from the floor. She was flung across the room and thrust down hard onto a wooden chair. Every joint in her body screamed in agony as her arms were twisted behind and bound with thick cord. She glared daggers at the man with gray eyes. "I will kill you," she murmured in a whispered threat falling on deaf ears. He smiled.

Luke walked over, slowly waving his hand in front of livid pink eyes, "Yes, she's lucid," he spoke into the phone.

"What the hell do you want?" she held back a cough. "I can't believe you stooped so low, Luke. Self-righteous bastard. I should have known something was up when you gave me more money than my heist goods were worth. You sick, jackass-arrrgn," she blinked away the needles jabbing the back of her eyes.

Luke frowned and motioned to the shelf on the wall, sending Karl over in search of something. The tall man spotted a roll of silver duct tape and smirked. A moment later, he tore off a strip and sealed shut the lips that snarled promises of demise.

Jinx slumped in the chair, vexation quickly taking over. A low growl rumbled from the lithe girl. She hoped her message made it to Raven; from the look of things she might not have much time left. Concentrating, she focused on the slowly returning senses, feeling her balance kicking in. Crackling resonated in her head as she tried to access her powers. Cringing, she quickly abandoned the idea for the moment in fear of accidentally killing herself.

* * *

Raven landed softly on the asphalt in front of the Phoenix Café. She surged through the doors and headed straight for the counter. The only person in line gladly stepped aside, letting the strange floating girl to the front of the line. "Two nights ago there was a man sitting over in that corner," she pointed without breaking her gaze with the slightly shaking employee. "He was tall, thin, had black hair in a ponytail, green eyes, glasses, wearing all black. Do you know his name?" she asked out coldly.

"You mean Mr. Smith? He's the owner of the café," the boy at the counter replied hesitantly.

_Mr. Smith…what a bogus pseudonym_. "What's his first name? Does it start with an L?"

"I believe it's…Luke," he thought for a moment and nodded. "Yeah. Luke."

Instantly Raven played through the short meeting with Luke, trying to remember details, clues-anything that might help her find Jinx. "Thank you," she quickly replied before heading out into the night once again_. Luke, you conniving snake. What have you done_? She growled, thrusting open her communicator and trying to find a signal from Jinx.

* * *

Luke hung up the phone with a smile. He pulled over a chair and settling down before the furious feline. "You'll never guess how surprised I was to see you at my door this evening. You practically handed yourself over." He smirked at the expression on Jinx's face as she glared from behind the duct tape. "I'm guessing this wasn't how you had planned this meeting…"

Jinx muttered muffled curses, narrowing her eyes dangerously. She was terribly weak and exhausted, but refused to let any show. She shifted uncomfortably and stared at Karl as he tossed mixed nuts into the air and caught them in his mouth. Her mouth felt like an old carpet; she was desperately thirsty and hunger was starting to eat away at her endurance.

Luke pulled a tissue from his pocket and leaned over to wipe a trickle of blood from her cheek. She growled and shied away. He smiled, shaking his head. "So wild and untamed…it's no wonder you've excelled in your occupation. It's just too bad you didn't get in with the right people."

Jinx snorted and the room fell silent.

A sudden beeping broke the quiet of the room. The two men looked around franticly for the source of the sound. Jinx sat perfectly still, shifting her eyes side to side before looking away. Luke raised a brow and stood behind the seated girl. "Well, look what we have here," he slipped his hand into her pocket and pulled out the screeching communicator. He looked it over before promptly releasing it, letting it clatter to the ground. With one fluid motion he lifted his foot and crushed the device, killing its cries for help. The two men exchanged glances. "We might be getting some company."

The room was eerily quiet; nothing but the ticking of the crystal clock hanging on the wall. Luke sat comfortably in his chair while Jinx strained in her bindings.

"What are we doing with her," Karl spoke for the first time. His voice was deep and dangerously poised.

"We are holding her here until _you know who_ gives us further instruction," Luke leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes.

Karl scoffed. "I don't know why you bother with that parasite when you could easily overthrow him."

"Maybe I like not being the guy everyone wants to overthrow," Luke snapped back.

"So you follow blindly? I mean, what are you doing? Assault, kidnapping; these are big leaps from just your average theft and laundering," Karl growled.

* * *

By eight pm, Raven had reached the chipped red door of the building. There was very little activity around; she took extra precautions while scoping the place out before deciding the best way to get in. As she phased through the cinderblock wall, she stumbled down onto a flight of steps. At the bottom was a long hallways; at the end a large steel door stood open. Voices echoed down the hall.

* * *

Jinxed looked on with curiosity as the two men bickered.

"And how long are we supposed to wait? Soon her powers will be back and then what? Shall I bludgeon her again?" Karl snarled.

_Thank god someone has some sense amongst all the testosterone in this room_, Jinx sighed to herself. Closing her eyes, she tried focusing on breathing, keeping her mind off the ever-growing sense of fear and anxiety.

"Don't worry about that, I have drugs, you know," Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it. He took a long drag and exhaled, watching the pale smoke wisp into Jinx's face.

"Why am I not surprised? I will not take part in _doing_ anything to her," Karl sent him a warning look.

"Pff, take it easy, this is business, not pleasure. Cute though she may be; I'm not interested," he disposed of the ash accumulating at the end of his cigarette on an ashtray resting on the coffee table.

"I don't like this whole situation. It doesn't feel right. Why would he want her like this? Why are you holding her for him?"

"I don't pay you to question me, Karl, I pay you to jump when I say _jump_."

"Technically, I haven't been paid yet," he crossed his toned arms in front of his chest and frowned.

Luke sat in silence for a moment, taking another long drag. Casually, his gaze shifted to Jinx. Her vision was rapidly improving and she raised a brow in uncertainty as Luke stared at her. After a moment, a look of wide-eyed horror washed over her face as green eyes trickled up and down her chest, lingering far too long for her taste. She whimpered and squirmed when he stood, reaching, slowly unzipping her nylon jacket. She thrust her head from side to side, flailing as best she could. His hand slipped into her jacket, groping around blindly. A moment later he pulled out a thick wad of bills from her inside breast pocket, tossing them to Karl. "That should do just nicely."

Jinx trembled in rage, chest heaving. Karl shook his head and counted his money. Luke ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry about that," he winked. Jinx lunged forward with a guttural snarl, nearly knocking over both chairs. "Settle down, child," he cooed, straightening her chair and bringing his face dangerously close to the sorceress. "Unless you'd rather we do other things…"

The color drained from her already pale face. She looked away, glaring at the wall.

"That's my girl-"

"That's not_ your _girl," a deathly cold voice hissed from the doorway. Three set of eyes turned to see an enraged half-demon; eyes glowing red, black aura swirling about in a horrific display.

"Son of a-" was all Luke managed to say before he was smashed into the wall by a seething tendril. Karl ducked behind the bar, barely dodging the claw of dark matter hissing through the air. A chair shattered the shelves of alcohol on the back wall, raining glass and liquid down on him. Raven lashed out wildly, destroying the contemporary room in seconds. The metallic sound of a pistol being cocked rang out. Karl stood and fired blindly.

Jinx, Raven, and chair were gone. Karl growled, bounding over the table. He squatted down and slapped Luke on the cheek. "We have a problem."

"I know that, _jesus_," he pressed a hand to the back of his head, pulling it back to see none of the blood he'd thought would be there. "Godamnit, that hurt…"

Karl shook his head, "Don't be such a friggen baby, do you have any idea how hard I hit her?" he shoved the whining man to his feet and they headed out the door.

* * *

The two women fell out of a black portal in the sky, landing in the center of the park in south side. Jinx clattered to the ground still bound to the chair; the shock of the fall jolted her sore form, eliciting a muffled yelp. Raven growled and quickly untied her wrists, frowning at the deep gashes she'd received through struggling to free herself. The sorceress immediately ripped the tape from her mouth with a cringe, taking in a few deep breaths before she spun and embraced the empath; she trembled slightly. Raven held her tightly. "It's okay, you're safe now. Let's get you home," the empath summoned up her last bit of energy, struggling to teleport again so rapidly. The foggy ebony mist surrounded their forms, vanishing a moment later. The wooden chair and cords lay idly in the grass.

Raven managed to land them safely on the roof of Titan's Tower. She panted slightly, working to keep Jinx upright. They shuffled down the stairs and quickly entered the Titan's room where the thief collapsed on the floor with a groan.

"Damnit," she muttered into the carpet.

"Take it easy," Raven said softly as she pulled the sorceress up onto the bed.

"I will not," Jinx growled, trying to stand. Instead she slumped onto her side, sighing in exasperation.

Raven rolled her eyes. "You are in no condition to fight. I'd heal you, but I used all of my energy to teleport us. You are just going to have to rest," she pulled off Jinx's nylon jacket and cast it to the floor, along with her boots. "Please stay here while I go and get something to clean you up with," she said before slipping quietly out of the room.

Jinx stared at the ceiling. _What a day_, she shook her head, cringing as a sharp pain ran down her neck. She hoped she wasn't bleeding all over the girl's soft, dark…comfortable purple sheets. She blinked heavy lids, fighting to stay awake. Luke's remark played over and over again in her head: _No sleeping, you might not wake up_… She figured she sustained a concussion at least. No broken bones but things were certainly sore, perhaps a few pulled muscles. Her back ached, head throbbed, and she slowly drifted off…

"Jinx! Jinx, wake up," Raven shouted, grabbing the drowsy girl's shoulders and shaking her awake.

"Wha…t? Raven?" She blinked in confusion. Raven sat beside her, forcing the sorceress to sit upright. "God…my head."

"Yes, your head. You have a concussion; that means no falling asleep until I can get Cyborg to check you out," Raven dabbed the drying blood that caked the side of Jinx's head with gauze, frowning when it refused to come off . She parted her hair and inspected the wound. "Yeah, you're going to need a few stitches for that," she pulled out a speck of grit, wiping the injury clean. Jinx bit her lip, remaining silent. _So stoic…_Raven smiled to herself.

"Thank you," Jinx finally spoke after Raven had finished cleaning her wounds, "No one has ever cared enough to do anything like that for me."

Raven smiled thoughtfully, lifting the girls drooping chin to look into her eyes. "You are most welcome," she planted a kiss on her lips. "And, you're a lunatic."

The Cheshire cat grin returned. "I prefer bedlamite."

"Ah, yes, archaic terms…"

"So, when can I go to sleep?" She yawned, stretching her arms lazily above her head.

Raven scolded herself for staring too long at the particularly cute gesture. She ran a hand through her hair. "If you are ready, we can go down to the med lab and let him check out that thick skull of yours."

"I think I can manage," she smirked and stood, slowly meandering after the empath. Jinx felt so odd walking down the hallway. She felt odd being a welcomed _guest_, in this home of all places. _I wonder how the others will react…I hope they don't give Raven a hard time_. She followed, looking curiously around. Raven looked back every now and then with a small smile, making Jinx grin happily, despite the beating she received earlier. They came to a stop at a shiny steel door. For the first time, Jinx saw the extent of the beating. Her hair was drooping and dirty; an earthy brown stain marked the perimeter of her pistol wound in her effervescent hair, trailing down her jaw line. A thin scratch ran across her cheek bone, still fresh. Her eyes dropped to her hands; rope burns and deep lacerations encircled her thin wrists, grit and dirt speckled her palms. _Not too bad off, I suppose._

Raven opened the door, shocked to see the rest of the team waiting in the med unit. Starfire immediately flew beside Jinx, looking her over carefully.

"OH, friend Jinx, are you alright? Who did this to you? They will most certainly pay!"

"They certainly will," Jinx smiled back uneasily. _Friend Jinx?_ Her gaze shifted from Beast Boy to Cyborg, to Robin. They all seemed calm and concerned. Had Raven actually gotten through to them? She cast a glance to Raven, who only nodded towards an exam table.

Beast Boy punched Jinx playfully in the shoulder "You're pretty tough," he grinned. "I mean, you do put up with Raven…" he dodged the box of bandages hurled towards his head.

"Alright, lets leave them alone guys," Robin nodded his head towards Jinx before leaving the room. Starfire waved and followed the leader, Beast Boy quickly after. Cyborg smiled awkwardly and cleared his throat.

"Uhm, can you just take a seat on the table, I'll be right over."

Raven immediately raised a brow, picking up disturbing vibes from her teammate. _Oh god…he still likes her. _It seemed that after his undercover operations at the HIVE, Cyborg had developed feelings for a certain thief. Nothing ever came of them but apparently they were still present. Raven frowned.

Jinx carefully hopped up onto the table, letting her legs dangle off the edge. Cyborg wheeled over on a stool, tray in hand. He wiped the blood from her cheek with gauze drenched in antiseptics. She winched slightly but protested no further. He cleaned the rest of the blood off her skin, then focused on the oozing wound on the side of her head. "I'm going to give you a little something to numb the area before I stitch you up." She nodded. With syringe in hand, he carefully injected numbing solution into her scalp. "This might sting a little."

"I've noticed," she grumbled. Raven intently watched from a distance.

A few minutes and four stitches later, Cyborg was finished with his exam. "She'll be just fine," he said to Raven as they stood in the hall. Jinx remained in the room, changing into clean clothes. "Just some bumps and bruises; nothing serious aside from the wound. I'm amazed she came out of this so well. That blow could have easily killed her."

"Yeah, I know." Raven rubbed her forehead. "Cyborg, can I ask you something?"

He raised a brow and slowly nodded his head.

"Does the fact that Jinx and I are together bother you?"

Cyborg looked a way for a moment before smiling. "No, it doesn't. I'm glad she has such a good person looking out for her. Don't worry about me, Raven"

"Alright. I just, don't want to make you uncomfortable. I don't want to make any of you, Jinx included, uncomfortable."

"All four of us are fine with it. Aside from BB, he's a little bummed you're off the market," he smirked. Raven rolled her eyes. "Just keep an eye on her head; I'll take the stitches out in a week or so." He handed Raven a bag with fresh bandages and headed to the living room. "Oh, and tell her to go easy on her powers for a few days," he called from down the hall.

"Will do."

The door slid open and a pair of bandaged hands pulled the bewildered empath into the lab, pinning her to the wall. Pink eyes incredibly close to Raven's face, shown as vibrantly as ever. Jinx grinned sharp canines, pressing up against the dark titan in her borrowed t-shirt and shorts. "So we're together now?"

Raven momentarily lost her ability to express vocally what she wanted to say.

"Does that mean you're my girlfriend…" Jinx trailed off coyly.

"Well I went out and rescued you, might as well be your girlfriend."

"Ha! I could have managed on my own."

"Yeah, you had everything under contro-" she was silenced with a kiss. Jinx pulled back with a trademark smile, smug and pleased with the indescribable expression on her girlfriend's face.

"Shall we go to bed?" Jinx raised her brows, casting a sideways glance.

"What, you're not chomping at the bit to hunt down those two?"

"As you said, I need rest first. Besides…I'll bet you give wonderful back rubs…"

Raven stared blankly for a moment before taking Jinx by the hand and leading her down the hall to her bedroom. "Hey, I just thought of something," Jinx chuckled to herself.

"What's that?"

"You're a Scorpio."

"Mmmhmmm."


	13. Scatterheart

**Chapter Thirteen: Scatterheart **

"Do you have her?" a raspy, metallic voice crackled through the receiver.

"Unfortunately we came upon a few difficulties-" Luke's calm reply was cut short with an angry howl.

"You let her escape!"

"We didn't plan on one of the Titan's showing up. The nuisance thrashed my office and disappeared with Jinx before we knew what had happened."

"Incompetence, a useless heap of flesh is all you are. Go out and find her," he growled before hanging up.

"I have a feeling she'll be finding us," Luke frowned and closed his cell phone, looking to Karl. He sat at a table loading bullets into a chipped, gray magazine.

* * *

The sun crept its way above the horizon, casting its first light on the sleeping city of Jump. Birds chattered amongst themselves in the trees; paperboys scurried down the street hurling the latest news into front yards; the coffee shops opened their doors for the first wave of customers. In Titan's Tower, all was seemingly quiet as well.

Raven felt something brush against her nose. With a pathetic whine, she scrunched and wiggled in an attempt to be rid of the annoying itch. When that failed, she grumbled and rubbed her face with both palms before blinking away the sleep from her eyes. With vision focused, she recognized her room, felt her soft bed beneath her. Curled up beside the empath was some carbon based life form hidden beneath dark purple blankets and sheets. She smiled and nudged the still form.

"Mmmmrrrrgg," it said.

"Mmmmrrrrgg?" Raven imitated.

"Too early. Sleep."

"It's not too early, breakfast is at seven here," she smirked at the head-shaking response. "We have cereal, fruit, Cyborg makes pancakes and waffles…" she trailed off.

"…Five more minutes…"

Raven rolled her eyes and peeled back the covers a bit, revealing pink hair and pale skin resting on her side. Jinx grumbled and shoved her head under the pillow. "It's not my fault you make me lazy," she muttered.

"How do I make you lazy?"

The only response was "mmm, backrub" and an incoherent jumble of adjectives. Raven raised a brow and leaned down, planting soft kisses across the back of her neck. Jinx shivered and squirmed, rolling over to face the empath. "You know, kisses don't make me do everything."

"I beg to differ," Raven smirked and slipped off the bed. "And you look very cute in those shorts, might I add."

Jinx blushed slightly and groaned as she slumped out of bed. She shuffled after the dark girl down the hallway. "Why do they get up so early?" she yawned.

Downstairs in the kitchen the rest of the group mulled about sluggishly. Earlier in the morning there was a call that four of the titans answered, leaving them to return home exhausted and sleep-deprived. Cyborg was the only one bright eyed, enthusiastically flipping pancakes at the stove. Starfire sat at the table rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Robin rested his chin on the palm holding upright his lethargic form. Beast Boy gurgled face-first on the table in a puddle of his own drool.

"Aww, come on, ya'll, you know you love breakfast," Cyborg dropped a big steaming plate of pancakes in the center of the table before sitting and helping him self to more than a forth of the pile.

"Mmm, smells good," Robin yawned and dragged a few cakes off the top of the stack with his fork, pulling the plate towards him. The quiet whish of the door opening alerted that the last of the residents were making their way to breakfast.

"Morning," Raven quietly said as she headed to the stove for the tea kettle. Jinx followed hesitantly behind, standing awkwardly off to the side. Cyborg and Robin exchanged glances while Starfire poked Beast Boy's forehead.

"Awaken from your drooling slumber," she stopped when he sat up and looked around.

"What? Is it breakfast yet?" He wiped the saliva from his cheek and made a face before casually wiping it on his pants. He spotted Raven and Jinx, suddenly grinning. "And what were you two doing last night?" he raised a smug brow.

"Having sex," Jinx casually inspected a wound on her palm.

Raven choked aloud, sputtering her tea. She whipped around and gave the feline a warning look. The rest of the team looked around, snickering.

Laughing, Jinx held her hands up. "Just kidding. Do you guys have an extra chair somewhere?"

"Of course, let me grab one for you," Robin smiled behind his mask. Jinx rolled her eyes when Raven continued to glare at her from behind her mug. Robin shuffled in with a spare chair from the other room, setting it next to Raven's empty seat. "There you go," he sat back down and stifled a yawn.

"Friend Jinx, did you rest well despite your injuries?" Starfire inquired as she sipped a glass of orange juice.

"I did, thanks." The sorceress watched Cyborg inhale his food before grabbing a few pancakes.

"Pff, thanks for the help last night, Raven," Beast Boy moaned and rubbed his shoulders.

"It's not my fault that you continually get your ass handed to you on a platter," Raven nibbled on a piece of toast. "Whether I was there or not would have had little affect."

A quiet dull fell upon the room as everyone ate. Jinx couldn't help but let her mind and eyes wander around the room. It still hadn't settled with her that she was a welcome guest in the home of her former rivals. The last time she had sat at this table, Mammoth, Gizmo, and herself had taken the place by force. But that seemed so far away now; barely a scribble on the pages of her ever-changing life. The past few days had been a blizzard in her normally clear mind. A welcomed storm in her opinion. She smiled and chewed her breakfast, glancing at her girlfriend every now and then.

When they were finished and the dishes were done, Raven and Jinx headed back to the empath's room. Raven parted pink hair to inspect the stitches hidden below. "You heal fast."

"Why thank you. Now if only these would heal a little bit faster," she motioned to her scraped wrists. "They still burn like hell."

"I'll bet," Raven grabbed a towel out of her closet and threw it at Jinx. "Take a shower and rinse your wounds out well."

The towel whacked the sorceress in the side of her head. She picked it up, rolling her eyes as she shuffled to the door. "Yes mother."

* * *

Two sets of eyes scanned the streets below as they soared through the cold afternoon gloom. _Where would they run to?_ Jinx clenched her jaw. _And who is this boss of Luke's? That crafty bastard never struck me as the type to answer to anyone. _Raven set them both down gently on the sidewalk, habitually reaching up to adjust the hood she normally wore before reminding herself that she was dressed in street clothes. "Any idea where to start?" she asked.

Jinx was silent for a moment, staring off down the road. "I might. Follow me." She shoved her hands deep into her jacket pockets and headed down the street. They passed shop after shop until the area shifted into a more residential sector, lined with apartment buildings. The feline ducked down a narrow alley with Raven in tow. In the center of said alley was an old iron door built into the brick building. Raven raised her brow in question. "Just trust me." Jinx knocked twice and waited. "Just stand here and look mean."

"Look mean?"

"You know; your normal expression."

Raven smacked the back of her head, "Smart ass."

A minute passed, and then another. "I don't think anyone's home," Raven shifted. A moment later a hollow grinding sounded out in the stillness of the alley. The door groaned open and a thin woman with red hair stuck her head out.

"Jinx, what are you doing here?" she said nervously, gripping the door with pale, boney fingers. Her green eyes shot back and forth between the two arrivals.

"I'm looking for Luke. You haven't happen to see him today, have you?" Jinx spoke with voice on edge.

"I saw him yesterday evening," she said after a hard stare from both girls. "He stopped by and we had dinner…why?"

"Business," the feline said flatly.

"I see. Well he didn't come back last night after he went out to 'work'…Did something happen?" her voice squeaked with worry.

"Nothing to concern yourself with. Do you know where he might be?"

"If he's not at his office, then he's either at one of the coffee shops," she pushed a strand of straggly hair behind her ear. "Or at that one bar."

"What bar?" Jinx asked with sudden apparent interest.

"I don't know where it is, all I know is that it's some club-bar thing called The Bull. He usually goes there to hide, I suppose." Her gaze shifted far off, growing silent for a moment. "If you see him, tell him to come home." She shut and locked the door.

"And…who was that?" Raven asked as she followed the thief out the end of the alley and back onto another street.

"Luke's druggie girlfriend. She and I got into a fight once when I was trading in some stolen goods for cash. She's a thief and not a good one at that. Jealousy is an ugly thing," Jinx abruptly stopped and looked at a faded flyer stapled to a telephone pole. The letters were runny and barely readable, but she instantly recognized the logo in the center. "Wick…"

"Who's Wick?" Raven flattened out a wrinkle in the damp paper.

"A friend of mine in North Side," Jinx squinted in an attempt to read the writing. "Looks like some sort of wanted poster." She suddenly remembered what he had said to her the other day. "He rents rooms out to college students. I think this is about that."

"And this Wick character, can he be trusted?"

"Yeah. He and Eric, my neighbor across from my apartment, are the only guys I trust aside from what's left of my old team."

"Well then, call him up and see if he knows where The Bull is," Raven handed her a cell phone.

"Why do you need this when you have your communicator?"

She shrugged. "You know we were civilians before we were the Titans. Never use my minutes, though."

"Yeah, I wouldn't pin you as a big talker…" she smirked. At the bottom of the flyer was a phone number clear enough to make out. Jinx dialed and waited.

"This is Wick," a male voice said quickly, as if preoccupied. Typing could be head on Jinx's end.

"Hey Wick, it's Jinx."

The typing stopped. "What's up girl! Looking at renting a room, are we?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. Have you ever heard of a place called The Bull?"

The other end grew eerily silent.

"…I take that as a yes…Where is it?"

"Jinx, that's a dangerous place. The lowest scum come all the way from Gotham to hang out there. Remember what I said about shady characters?"

"Yeah, well I got a tip that the guy that just tried to kill me is hiding out there. I need to know where it is, Wick."

"What? What happened? Who hurt you?" the calm voice grew cold and hard.

"Luke and some guy named Karl."

"Luke? The middle man; owns all the coffee shops around Jump. That Luke?"

"That'd be him."

"That son of a _bitch_, I knew he was a back-stabbing snake," he cursed and growled. "Are you alright?"

"Just a few stitches and bruises. Plenty to repay, Wick."

"I'll bet…" shuffling of papers filled the momentary silence before he spoke up again. "Got a pen? The place is over by the old abandoned marina. 4512 West Avenue. It's in the basement of the big warehouse on the left. Place will be heavily infested with stupid kids with big guns, if you catch my drift."

"Is there only one way in?"

"I've never gone inside. The only entrance I know of is on the south wall. There's four _big_ guys guarding. Never tried to get in so I don't know who's allowed or not."

"How do you know of this place then, Wick?" Jinx finished scribbling on Raven's arm, who was glowering at the blue ink.

"I said I was the man. Gotta be informed about everything. That, and Veronica's good to me."

Jinx chuckled. "Glad you two get along so well. Thanks a bunch, Wick. I'll call you back so you know I'm not dead or something."

"Be safe, Jinx. Please be safe."

"Always." She hung up the phone with a sigh. "Stupid kids with big guns. What ever happened to actually _fighting_," she groaned.

Raven recognized the address scrawled across her forearm and looked up with worry. "Jinx, the marina is a bad place. You're not healed yet."

Pink eyes looked up with reserved fury. "I won't let them get away with this, Raven. It's not just business anymore; it's personal."

"I don't want anything to happen to you. I'd never forgive myself," she eyed the woman for a moment. "You're not going alone."

"I'm not asking you to come with me," she leaned up against the building, staring down at her shoes.

"It's beside the point; I am coming. And if there's as much fire power as your friend says, we might need backup."

"Please don't bring your team into this. It's not their problem, they own me nothing. If anything, I owe them."

Raven sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She had gotten to the girl just in time yesterday, but that was mainly luck and the idea that the two men didn't intend to actually kill Jinx. But chasing Luke into a place as dirty and foul as the marina? That was stupid. Going knowing there will be heavily armed men, drugs, and alcohol mixed together? That was pure madness. Something inside the dark girl jabbed her side, as if trying to snap her out of the train of thought her mind was preparing to start. _I want those two to pay for what they did to Jinx. Nothing is worse than a traitor, especially when they toy with things I happen to care about_. What's the cause of the sudden urge for aiding her girlfriend in an idiotic stunt like this? She shook her head. _No, no. I can't be_, she reasoned. Control over emotions was her primary forte, yet her internal conflict was sending out waves of argument and disorder…_love makes people do stupid things_…

Raven found herself planning a way into the belly of the beast. Why would she even think about doing such a stupid thing? Jinx was safe now, safe within Raven's grasp. There to pull into a tight embrace, to hold for hours and hours. But…they couldn't get away with what they did. Revenge, vengeance, retribution. Right and wrong hold no consequence when the line is crossed; simply put, everything is just a different shade of gray. The bigger man becomes the last man standing. Survival depends on strategy and execution, not the corrupt notion of justice the law has warped into a popularity contest. All the Titans recognized this fact, and in turn, had no problem with getting their hands dirty. Raven was certainly no exception. She looked skyward at the slowly fading sun smothered out by gray clouds.

After a long while she finally met Jinx's lovely eyes in a deep gaze. "When do you want to do this?"


	14. Crying

**Chapter Fourteen: Crying**

"Getting in won't be much of a problem, but I have a feeling we won't be welcomed guests once inside," Raven thumbed through files in a large cabinet while Jinx watched the door.

"Easy as sneaking into City Hall and stealing blue prints of civil structures?"

"We're not stealing, we're borrowing. And technically these are available to anyone that wants to see them. I'm just not in the mood for paperwork and publicity." She pulled out a large manila folder, opening it on the floor. "Here we are. Marina warehouse 32B. Assuming the club did little to change the exterior to avoid suspicion… I'd say the place is still as it says here."

Jinx squatted beside Raven, inspecting the detailed layout of the structure. "Wick was right; the only entrance is on that end of the building. And once inside it looks like there's only one way into the basement as well."

"That's certainly not a fire hazard…"

Jinx rolled her eyes and stole a pen and pad of paper from the desk they were hiding behind. She drew a quick sketch of the layout, noting windows, doors, and stairs. Raven watched the sorceress' fingers gracefully glide the pen across the paper, never realizing the girl was such a talented artist before. She thought back to when she walked through Jinx's room in her apartment and all the sketches and doodles spread out about her desk.

"This should do, now all we have to do is get inside without _someone_ starting a fight with some thug," Jinx gave Raven a sideways glance and pointed to coat rack. Hanging on one of the pegs was an old black and yellow cabbie hat.

"What? You can't be serious."

"You're a Titan, everyone knows your face." She threw the pad and pen back on the desk. "Well…technically you never take that damn hood down, so most just know your cloak and hood. Still, you have to be careful or you'll blow our cover." She snatched the hat and slipped it on her own head. Pulling the bill down to almost cover her eyes, tilting it slightly to the side before striking a pose; arms crossed, slouching to one side, head tilted up and back with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. "Look, I'm just like all the cool kids now."

"That's wonderful," Raven slipped the folder back in the drawer, shutting the cabinet.

Jinx grinned and pulled off the hat, running a hand through her hair. "I'm still not use to this 'down' hair thing. I miss my horns…" She walked over and slid the hat over Raven's head, adjusting it to cover as much of her purple locks as possible. The empath glowered as Jinx toyed with several positions before settling on one similar to the style she had just sported. "There, now, do the cool kid pose."

"How about no?" She shook her head, turning to look at her reflection in the small window. "I look ridiculous."

"But you don't look like Raven from the Titans, and that's what we're going for—Oooh! Even better," Jinx pulled out a pair of rectangle reading glasses from the desk drawer, holding them up to her eyes to check the prescription. "These are barely anything," she beamed as she slipped the glasses over Raven's ears, settling the frames down low on the bridge of her nose. "Now all you have to do is say 'man' ever four or five words and you'll look like a perfect little hippie."

"Hippie? I am probably the furthest from hippie."

"Nah, man, you totally look like my tree-hugger friend in south side…man."

Raven raised a brow. "Why would a hippie want to go hang out with people that use guns? What ever happened to peace and love and not eating the animals?"

"Hippies need to get their pot from somewhere…I'm willing to bet there will be plenty of drugs to be bought at this club. And Luke won't recognize you, at least not right away," Jinx checked the door one last time before Raven grabbed her hand and phased them through the wall.

* * *

As night fell silently, they crouched behind a dumpster on the outskirts of the deserted lot belonging to the warehouse. Just as Wick had said, four large men stood near the door, keeping an ever-watchful eye. Groups of people came and went in small waves, usually no more than six, and never did two groups walk in simultaneously. Jinx held back a gag when the breeze wafted a foul smell from the garbage pile her way. "Jesus, that reeks." She shuffled over to the empath, leaning in close. _But you smell wonderful…_

"It looks like the guards do little other than stand there. They aren't searching people, taking money, or checking anything," Raven bent down lower to remain in the shadows as one of the guards looked their way. "And thank you, it's my shower gel."

Jinx blushed and scratched the back of her head "I…that's not fair!"

Raven grinned. "All's fair. You ready?"

The feline furrowed her brow, staring off at the door. Inhaling deeply, she let out the long breath slowly, cracking her knuckles. "Yeah. Let's go." She adjusted her coat and headed off along the chain link fence.

Raven watched her jog away for a moment, trying to kill the knotted stomach eating away at her. They would be alright, she told herself. She had faced off with Trigon the Terrible; a few punks wouldn't be a problem, right? _Trigon didn't use guns…_thank the gods for her shielding black magic, but would it be fast enough to beat the speeding copper seeking out their flesh? _There's no time to doubt_, she scolded. Checking the surroundings, she lifted up into the sky, heading for the warehouse.

Violet eyes spotted a small group of guys heading around the back. She motioned below to Jinx, who immediately stopped, taking cover behind the dense foliage claiming back the urbanized lot. Raven landed beside her silently. Just as the group passed, they stepped out from the bushes behind them, casually following the chatting gang towards the door. Raven and Jinx exchanged looks briefly before shifting to more indifferent facades.

The young men reached the guards, only nodding their heads before walking inside the open galvanized steel doors. One by one they entered until it was Jinx and Raven who were left. Calm exteriors masked their burning anxiety. Jinx nodded to one of the large men. He stared down at the two for a moment, scanning their faces with narrowed, dark eyes. The few seconds seemed like days; Jinx's stomach churned; Raven felt it. Finally the man gestured to the door with a flick of his large, bald head. They walked inside, both exhaling the breath they didn't realize they were holding.

"That was easy," Jinx quietly murmured as she looked around. The interior was in as much of a dilapidated state as the outside; dirt and oil caked the floor, a thick layer of dust coated everything in sight; chains hung from the tall ceiling, creaking despite the stillness in the air. Visibly a walkway through the grime where previous souls had wandered led to the center of the warehouse. A pair of steel door stood opened in the floor. The guys continued to talk amongst themselves as they descended, oblivious to the two behind them; their laughter echoed in the gloom.

"Do I still look like a hippie?" Raven whispered through gritted teeth.

"Yep. Now just act natural, I'll talk if anyone approaches, ok?"

Raven nodded and peered down into the stairwell, unblinking. "I love you, Jinx," she heard herself say. Immediately closing her eyes she mentally kicked herself for letting something of such weight slip. Jinx stared silently, jaw slightly ajar. Raven opened her eyes and descended the stairs two at a time. The sorceress blinked, shaking herself out of the daze.

"Raven, wait!" she quickly followed, hitting the bottom of the stairs to find a long dark hallway with a Raven walking towards the end.

_So stupid, why would you say that, and now of all times?_ The empath inhaled deeply, slowly repeating her familiar mantra over and over again in her mind. _Stay focused; don't get either of you killed_. The loud thump of bass already made her eardrums groan as she neared the bright red door a few yards in front of her.

"Raven, wait," Jinx sprinted to close the gap, slipping a hand over her shoulder and pulling the girl into a tight embrace. She buried her face into the shorter girl's neck. "I love you too, Raven." The empath returned the gesture, slightly relieved but still feeling like a fool. They pulled away when voices reverberated from behind. Jinx reached out and turned the door knob.

Immediately a wall of thick, hot air hit them; blasting music drowned in the overpowering bass; a mixture of conflicting smells blended together to add to the discord on the senses. Raven visibly cringed, eyes wide in horror at the sight of writhing flesh massing together on the dance floor. She had never been to a club before, and followed closely by Jinx's side. Red and blue lights burned down from above, swaying and scattering about the masses. Past the dance floor, a large bar area was filled with people; the fog of cigarette smoke loomed all throughout the air. A set of stairs spiraled up onto a platform high above the bar. _That's where Luke will be_, Jinx narrowed her eyes.

Raven followed the sorceress' gaze, pointing to the tall, shirtless tattooed man standing atop the staircase. "How do we get past him without force?" she yelled into Jinx's ear, who didn't say anything in return, thinking as they inched their way through the ocean of mindless dancers towards the bar. A scantily clad woman fell onto Raven, laughing hysterically. The Titan turned away as the stench of alcohol seethed from the intoxicated girl. Disgusted, she shoved the blonde away, clenching her jaw and increasing her pace. Jinx reached back, taking Raven's hand as she led the way.

As they neared the bar, Jinx slowed, scanning for a place to sit. Spotting two men leaving, Jinx pulled Raven through the crowd, shoving her towards the chair before someone else grabbed it as she seated herself. The men on either side looked up coldly, saying nothing. Jinx shot them a look, aggressively holding her ground against the silent challenge. When the men turned back, she looked to Raven. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," Raven peered above the glasses. It amused her to see how much of this girl's attitude was actually a front, a cover for the sweet, caring girl beneath. Her tough, stoic nature braced with the persona she played when around others would fool most. But not Raven. She was also a master of deception.

The two looked around the crowd, feeling out of place yet hoping they weren't standing out. Everywhere men leaned, smoking, hands resting idly on various objects hidden beneath clothing. Leather jackets and boots; casual suits and shoes; tattered jeans and dirty t-shirts. Leers and untrusting whispers circled about. It was obvious the people in the bar weren't here for the music. Raven noticed someone peculiar and stared for a moment. "See the guy sitting two seats down from me?"

Jinx casually glanced down the row of men to the one Raven spoke of. He was thin and boney; pale skin shown in sharp contrast to the dark brown hair atop his head. Rectangular glasses accentuated startling blue eyes. Dressed in a dark gray suit left open, the top few buttons of the white shirt beneath were left undone; he was missing a tie. Slouching, ignoring the chaos around him, he was staring down into his glass as if preoccupied. Jinx leaned back to her seat. "Yeah, what about him?"

"I have no idea why he would be here, but I'm pretty damn sure that's Jonathan Crane."

Jinx raised a brow, looking back at the man. The name was familiar, but not as familiar as the one she knew the character by. "…Scarecrow?" Raven nodded. "No friggen way! Scarecrow? One of Batman's enemies from Gotham? We learned all about him at the H.I.V.E…" Jinx frowned. "What would he be doing here? Gotham is clear across the country from Jump."

"I don't know, and I really don't want to find out," Raven leaned in, whispering.

"What'll it be?" the bartender grunted loudly over the roar.

"Nothing," Jinx said shortly, her front kicking in.

"You can't sit here and order nothing," he glared, drumming his tattooed fingers on the table top. Pink eyes traced the black spade ring etched in ink, encircling his middle finger.

"Fine. I'll have some water."

"You can get water from the tap in the bathrooms, what do ya want to drink?" he was growing impatient. Men around them looked on. Jinx glared at them. Purple eyes darted back and forth, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, someone walked up and nudged the bartender, whispering something in his ear. He growled, shuffling bottles and containers back and forth loudly. Two glasses were slammed down in front of the two girls. "Complements of your _friend_," he gestured behind them with the flick of his eyes before moving down to another thirsty thug.

"What is he talking about," Jinx turned to scan the crowded seating area behind them, noticing an odd look on the empath's face. She followed her stare to a person lounging alone at the far, dimly lit corner table. He wore all black; a skull mask concealed his identity.

"Red X," Raven murmured. He waved, slowly letting his fingers fall up and dawn, surely grinning behind that suave, faceless expression. Narrowing her eyes, she shook her head, waving back quickly before turning around.

"Shit, he recognizes you, doesn't he," Jinx grumbled, turning back to the bar. Raven stared at the red colored drink; some had sloshed over the edge, pooling on the dirty wooden bar.

"Yeah. He knows it's me," she traced the edge of the glass with her index finger. "I doubt he cares either way. How are we going to get upstairs?"

"Maybe your friend over there can help," Jinx eyed up the beverage before taking a small taste; she put the glass back down and scooted it away with extended fingers. Raven rolled her eyes. "I guess we'll just have to risk taking the stairs. Or you can phase us through the floor and hope to god whoever's up there doesn't notice."

Raven's eyes traveled skywards momentarily before snapping back to Jinx. A small, almost imperceptible smile graced her lips before she abruptly stood, heading for the stairs. Jinx raised a brow, scurrying up from her stool and after her strange girlfriend who pushed and shoved any body in her way. "Uh, Raven?" she questioned as they neared the bottom of the tall, spiral staircase. Raven ripped off the hat and glasses; Jinx watched them fall to the ground. "What are you doing?"

"Going up." Raven raced upwards with an odd determination never know to her before. Violet eyes met with the hazel of the tattooed man's atop the stairs. _Gods, I'm crazy…_she glared when he unfolded his arms gesturing for her to stop.

"You're not allowed up h—" silenced with a forceful blast of darkness. He stumbled backwards, smashing his head against the metal grated flooring. Pink eyes went wide with shock as she scrambled after Raven, instantly adapting her aggressive take on the situation. At the top of the loft, a finely decorated layout of overstuffed leather chairs, crystal glass, and cigar smoke waited, begging to be destroyed. Or perhaps it was just Jinx's begging and everything else was waiting none the less.

She nudged the still form of the guard with her boot; he remained motionless. She looked up with a small smile, spotting the unlucky souls that brought her to this filthy level of hell. With a snap of her fingers, the stairs behind her cracked and crumbled to the floor, echoing a metallic scream throughout.

"Hello boys," a wicked, Cheshire cat smile.

Five men stood up from their interrupted meeting. Luke's stomach knotted horribly at the sight of Jinx and her equally dangerous companion; Karl narrowed his eyes, reaching for his gun. He swore when he spotted it resting on the table between them.

Jinx allowed the closest man to approach, waiting for him to step close enough…an upward thrust broke his nose, blinding him with tearing eyes and searing pain. The trained assassin fell back into her familiar ways when she swept his feet from under him and snapped his neck before he hit the ground.

Karl raced to his gun while Luke cautiously backed away towards a darkened steel and glass door.

Raven clenched her jaw, forcing a tendril hissing for the closest man. It struck his chest hard, knocking him against the railing before tumbling him over, down to the ground below. A hollow thud ensued. No feeling of remorse or wrong-doing washed over her. There were no rules in the underground world. _No honor among thieves_, she narrowed her eyes on Luke; there was hell to pay when crossing the spawn of Trigon.

A shot rang out.

The third stranger's bullet sailed past Raven's side. Instinctively dropping to a crouch, she took cover behind an overturned chair, casting a glance to Jinx.

Screams and yells from the ground far below blended with the thumping bass as scores of confused people rushed for the only exit. With little regard for friends, they trampled any that stumbled into their way. Gun fights were never a popular past time for common thieves and robbers.

At the bar, a smile crossed the pale face of Dr. Crane as he took in the sight around him. He looked to the bartender: "Fear; isn't it wonderful?" The grimy man just leaned against the table, drying a thick glass with a dirty rag. Crane took a sip of his drink and watched the masses, contently chuckling to himself.

The feline looked up from her kill, eyes glowing wild. Her lips curled back into a slightly alarming sneer as she locked onto those startling green eyes across the way. Raven saw her feline slip the slain man's weapon behind her back. Quickly, she stole a glance beyond her cover. The stranger fired wildly, striking the floor, walls, and chairs as Jinx dashed for safety. His clip rapidly became dry in his panic-stricken attempt to subdue the two meta-humans. As a silence drew, Raven heard the distinct click of a safety being flicked off.

Karl trained his pistol on Jinx, squeezing off two rounds. He frowned as an opaque black wall materialized between his bullets and the target. Pink flashes hurled towards him barley missed as he dropped behind the couch.

Raven grabbed the chair before her, sending it straight for the third man. It collided just as he stood from reloading, smashing him to the ground with a pathetic cry. Luke now raced for the door. The motion sparked a predatory instinct; pink irises and elliptical pupils focused on the craven rat.

The empath snatched the gun away from her downed target, ripping it to pieces with her swirling black aura. A movement in her peripheral vision sent her ducking behind her overstuffed weapon. Jinx lunged for the cover of another couch; three shots ripped into the leather a mili-second later.

In the midst of the bedlam, the music had died. Tables, chairs, bottles, glasses lay strewn about the floor. The last few stragglers of the ones who fled stumbled through the small red door. Two individuals and the bartender remained downstairs.

Karl dropped down again when the large glass and granite table hurtled his way; playing cards danced about in the smoky air, fluttering to the ground as a shatter echoed against the cement walls. For a brief moment, pink and purple eyes met as they checked on one another. They both focused towards the sound of a door slamming shut. Jinx growled, angrily shouting despite the eerie silence below: "COWARD!"

The clatter of a spent magazine betrayed Karl's new position closer to Raven. She instantly brought up her shield, watching two bullets contort wildly as the smashed against the barrier before tumbling to the floor. Now standing, she glared at him through the blackness. Pale gray eyes bore no guilt or fear, but a chillingly calm and calculated aura. Unlike most crazed killers, no smile ever graced his lips. This wasn't fun, this was work, Raven guessed. His stance was bold and powerful; movements fluid; poised and in control. Without looking away from Raven's hard glare, he lifted his arm and fired once to her left, unblinking.

A slight whimper drifted, barely audible.


	15. Violently Happy

**Chapter Fifteen: Violently Happy**

Karl lowered his weapon, finally breaking gaze with Raven to inspect the damage of his blind shot. Jinx slumped against the wall, fighting to stay on her feet, straining, taking heavy, raspy breaths. One hand pressed hard against her side; vermillion drips spilled between pale fingers. The bullet clipped her rib cage, breaking through a rib before searing out the other side. The copper projectile rested embedded in the concrete wall behind her trembling frame. A decent shot for having taken it purely out of peripheral vision.

Looking back to Raven, he spoke quietly. "You shouldn't have attacked."

Raven's chest screamed in agony as she watched the trickle of blood dripping to the floor. She felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes. The utter hatred burning inside almost blinded her to the fact that the man before her wielded a gun with great skill. She glared at him through her shield, preparing to strike in one colossal blow. Sensing the impending attack, Karl raised his gun towards Jinx once again; Raven froze.

"You shouldn't have come here. You should have just taken off when you rescued her instead of seeking retribution. I didn't want to have to kill her; now I believe she might bleed to death from a normally non-fatal wound."

"You're pathetic. Following the orders of that coward," she yelled, voice slightly trembling. She pointed to the door where Luke had retreated. "No amount of money in the world is worth risking your life for someone that would abandon you in a heartbeat." Raven cast glances at Jinx every so often, nervously watching the small pool of blood at her feet grow larger. She needed to find a way to out-smart Karl, and fast. Changing tactics, she softened her aggressive stance. "Why _are_ you helping Luke?"

"Luke isn't who you think, at least, not anymore."

"How do you mean? Is he really working for someone else or…" a thought occurred rapidly in her storming mind. Luke had gained Jinx's trust, and the empath knew the girl was almost as untrusting as herself. _Perhaps, something happened to Luke…_

"You're a very clever girl," Karl continued his calm stare.

Inside her mind, she was viciously beating his face in with her fists. "Then, who is he?" she asked evenly.

"I've asked myself that quite a few times," Karl lowered his arm slightly. "He's had a rather rapid character switch. Disregarding his usual pastimes for books; spending hours and hours alone, obsessing."

She was almost afraid to ask. "Obsessing over what?"

His eyes drifted over to the sorceress, watching her pant quietly, eyes glaring daggers. Raven clenched her jaw, suppressing the growl and string of curses begging to escape her lips. Gray eyes locked with her own. "You."

_Me? He doesn't know who I am. I don't even know who he is—this makes no sense._ Her emotionless face concealed perplexity at the sudden proclamation. "Why would he be obsessing over me?"

"Also a question I've contemplated. None of it makes any sense, really. I'm starting to wonder if I should even bother anymore."

Raven smiled to herself. _Seeding doubt; a perfect start_. "You mentioned books…I'm guessing they aren't new."

He tilted his head slightly to the side, thinking, seeing right through her plan. "Not at all. Ancient, perhaps. Luke never really was the type to read old texts...not deceptive enough."

Karl was more intelligent then she previously thought. This was taking too long, and he was right; the woman would bleed to death before she could get to her. Strategies ran across her mind, searching for a faster way to get Jinx the hell out of this place. Once she was safe, Raven planned on returning Karl and whoever Luke was the favor they bestowed upon her feline. But this ancient book information struck some familiar chord. There was something far darker than thieves and mob bosses at work here. She felt an uneasy tension building inside. "Let Jinx go. Let me take her and get out of here. You can leave and we won't ever seek you out again."

"The moment I let my guard down, you will try to kill—"

A shot rang out.

Grey eyes never blinked as Karl's lifeless body slumped to the floor. A crimson drop slid down his temple; specks of bone and brain matter peppered the floor behind him, rapidly drowning in the growing pool of dark, viscous blood. The empath took great satisfaction in watching for a few moments before looking to the source of the gunshot.

"Asshole," Jinx whispered, letting the empty gun clatter to the floor.

"Jinx!" Raven's shield fell as she raced towards the sorceress. Just before reaching her, however, she was blasted from behind by some unseen force. Lifted clear off her feet, she soared through the air before smashing to the concrete ground several yards away. The blow knocked the breath from her and she gasped for air, scrambling on her stomach for the cover of another downed chair.

"Oh, dear. You're not going to cry now, are you?" A voice grated from the door. Raven's blood ran cold.

_That voice_. She knew that voice. Charmingly silky smooth, yet…so cold and malicious. Those very words spoken to her once before brought back pained memories from her past. Slowly she turned her head, peering over the chair; silently praying she was just imagining it.

Grinning sadistically in the doorway was Luke. Although, something about his face seemed off; something sharper, bitter. _His eyes…_Raven blinked. No longer a stunning shade of green, the man's eyes shone a hollow, cobalt blue. Sinisterly arched and all too familiar. She had once stared longingly into them for days. "No…"

"No? Well that's certainly an improvement from our last encounter," he sneered, slowly walking forward.

"How did you…" Raven whispered to herself.

"How did I get out of that bloody book? No help from you, that's certain. Although, you were more than happy to seal me away." He narrowed his eyes. Despite the difference in hair color and skin tone, the man held the same posture, same arrogance as the wizard. Even though on the surface he appeared human, the being lurking under that skin was truly a wicked, vile creature.

"Instead of relying on a dark and lonely girl I had to enlist the aide of a mindless twit. The moron was so incompetent he couldn't even perform the simplest spell…I found an easier way, as you see," he gestured to his new body. "Not too bad, if I don't say so myself."

The white book. _His_ book was locked away in the chest in her room, how had it gotten into the hands of Luke? He halted a few steps away from the shivering girl bleeding on the floor. "Never could keep track of your things…"

"_Stay away from her_," Raven growled. Swirls of black tendrils seethed about her small form.

"Someone's a might bit grouchy, _I _was the one trapped in a book for a thousand years… Never did get to thank you for you're quick thinking that day. So very clever, and yet equally foolish…falling for someone again," Cruel eyes drifted over Jinx. Bending down, he lifted her chin. "Revenge is bittersweet, yes? Here I am, inches from you and all you can manage to do is glare whilst you bleed out your last bit of strength."

"I don't even know who you are," she spat quietly, wrenching away from his grasp.

"It doesn't really matter, you'll be dead soon enough." He looked back to Raven. "All people ever do is break your heart, silly girl," he laughed.

His words were like salt in an already burning wound. Raven's heart thumped wildly in her chest; every drop of blood spilling from the girl's side was like her own. She felt weak and helplessly useless. Once again the vile snake had toyed with her emotions to get what he wanted. This time, instead of releasing him from imprisonment, he wanted more than anything to watch her suffer for cursing him back to the dusty pages of that forgotten book. _Watch_ her suffer; just like her father. The worst part; he attacked the one she loved to get to her. _Lowly, pathetic bastard. I'm through with being used_. Holding back livid tears, she muttered words under her breath.

"What was that? Oh, you _**are**_ cryin—" the chair she was standing behind slammed into his body full force, knocking him to the ground.

Not giving him a chance to retaliate, Raven grasped his squirming form in her black magic, thrusting him towards the wall. The swirl of green mist confirmed the identity of the man as he broke free, pushing off the wall with his feet. He landed, immediately lashing out with green orbs towards the empath. She batted them aside, hurling herself towards the tall man. Fist connected with jaw; he stumbled backwards, a dribble of blood marring pretty features. He countered with a rapid fire, desperately chasing after the dodging empath.

Raven ducked below a blast, stepped inside his arm and grasped, flinging him over her shoulder before driving her heel into his side. Her powers weren't as rewarding as physically beating the wretched beast. He rolled away from another heel stomp; half a second later, his kick nailed her in the gut. She bent over in wild pain, phasing through the floor just before his second kick could make contact.

"Raaaaaaaaaven…my sweet Raven. Why do you run from me?" He scanned all around, waiting for her to lash out at any moment from the darkest of corners. "Your emotions gotten the better of you in our time spent apart? Or, have you gotten the better of them…I'm rather impressed, you haven't had one uncontrolled flair-up." After several quiet seconds, his eyes dropped to Jinx. "I don't know what you see in this skinny little tart anyway. Her eyes are wild…is she your attempt at getting out and experiencing life while remaining in the deepest depth of that room of yours?"

The slightest of sounds caught his ear. He spun around preparing to strike; nothing living stood. An aluminum beer can slowly rolled across the floor. Blue eyes watched for two seconds too long before realizing what a fool he had been. As he turned, the great manifested form of Raven's soul thrashed his new body, battering him to his knees with a cry. Growling, he lifted his arms above his head, creating a dangerously large, shockingly green orb. She stood her ground, unfazed.

"Still misunderstood, love?"

"Fuck you."

He hurled the blast, eyes gleaming with joy as he watched her dark form become engulfed in the flames. No movement; no screams in agony. Eerie silence danced about the low crackle of the flames. He stood, laughing.

"Not too much longer," he murmured, casting a glance to the wounded Jinx. She was growing weaker; lids fell heavily over distant eyes.

Once the smoke and fire had dissipated, however, the dark form still stood, fuming in her self-sustaining firestorm. The very air seemed to drop ten degrees; a stillness in the air gripped all that tried to move; eyes glowing a terrifying crimson, beyond enraged and too far gone to stop. Launching a seething claw at incredible speed, it latched on and drove him hard into the wall with a bone shattering crunch.

"You've…gotten….s-stronger," he gasped for air, squirming in her grasp. "But not-any brighter. It's too late to save your little crush now." A tendril wrapped around his face, muffling any scream to a quiet murmur.

"It was _you_ all along. _You_ set up Jinx, possessed Luke, manipulated Karl" she snarled, creeping closer, tightening her grasp with each step. "_You_ crept through the shadows at night like vermin, spying, watching as that feeling swirled around inside you." Her voice grew deep and sadistic. "The fact that I had completely forgotten about you just rubbed you the wrong way, didn't it? How many countless nights did you pace the confines of your book, cursing my name? Couldn't stand to let me go on with my life without one last chance to ruin it?"

His faced had turned a slight shade of blue as the grip squeezed the very life from the bastard. She almost felt bad for Luke, if he was even there anymore. _Almost_ felt bad. His lips parted to speak but no words could crawl their way out from the collapsed lungs burning in his chest.

"Am I still the best thing that's happened to you in a thousand years?" Raven snarled, watching his conniving blue eyes finally roll back into his skull before thrusting the limp body aside. The blue quickly faded from his face as the misty form of Malchior seeped through the downed man's skin. It hovered in the air before zipping off towards the steel door. Raven followed, relieved to see him slip back into the white book lying on a desk inside the room. She snatched the book; a dead sprint brought her to her love a second later.

"Jinx, Jinx can you hear me? It's going to be okay," she cradled the still form in her arms, feeling a faint pulse and shallow, raspy breaths. A crystal tear dripped from violet eyes as she scanned the carnage around the room. Karl's blood coated the perimeter of his large form; bits of shattered glass and spent bullet cases littered the floor. Jinx's kill lay contorted in his final pose; the other body was pinned beneath the couch. Who knew what became of the one she knocked off the loft. Calming herself down enough to control her powers, the two were encased in blackness, vanishing rapidly amidst the fog.

_

* * *

_

Raven? Where are you, Raven? RAVEN,

she shouted in the quiet. Nothing stirred. She tried again. _RAVEN? Where am I? Where are you?_ Again, not even an echo called back. The air was icy cold and thin; each breath barely seemed sufficient enough to keep her alive. Yet she was grateful the air still filled her lungs. She was utterly alone in the dark, franticly searching for a way out, a way anywhere. _Anywhere but here_, she shivered, looking up. No stars to light her way. Not even the faintest shimmer. She wondered where the trees were, where anything was. How did she get here? More importantly, where was here, exactly? Why was it so dark…

She racked her mind, trying to remember what happened after she and Raven walked through the doors of the warehouse. Everything came back in a flash of rapid, broken pictures: the dirty chains creaking from the ceiling, Raven staring off into the stairwell, their hug before the blood red door, the ugly bartender, the thief in the corner, running up the rusty stairs, Raven knocking the tattooed man unconscious, snapping the man's neck, dodging bullets. Abruptly the images stopped and she was filled with the most excruciating pain she had ever felt. Each breath felt like her lungs were ripping off her chest walls, reminiscent of tape being pulled off an old cardboard box. A voice suddenly dominated her mind. Deep, smooth, and cruel. He laughed. Then, she heard Raven snarling. Something wrapped around her body, holding her close. The air felt misty and thick before she drifted off, smothered by the blackness.

An offensive odor tickled Jinx's nose. The scent of 'clean'; she was in a hospital, her mind pointed out before eyes confirmed. Blinking away whatever blurred her vision, she took a look around, squinting to adjust to the bright light. A stainless steel table rested in the center of her field of vision. The object instantly jolted memories; she was in the med unit of Titan's Tower. She sat up quickly. Pain quickly followed. _Pain?_ She looked down; her chest was wrapped in a bandage, holding gauze over her right side. Pale fingers peeled back the dressing, revealing a healed bullet hole, only a mere scar. An exceptionally larger scar marked where the projectile had exited her body on her back. "Jesus. I'm lucky to be alive." Her own voice surprised her; it had seemed like she had been trapped in the dark for ages. Plastic tubing snaked its way from the bag of fluids to the catheter in her arm. She watched the clear liquid drip for a few moments before promptly ripping the tubing from her flesh, winching slightly at the sting.

"You have awakened!"

The sudden shout startled the girl. She whipped her head around towards the door.

"Glorious!" In a flash of orange, Starfire stood by the side of Jinx's bed. "Do you require hydration? Perhaps sustenance? Another earthly head cushion? What about a glass of flornkarr from my home world!"

Jinx stared. _My god, that girl can talk fast._

"Easy Star, give her some space," Robin chuckled, walking towards them. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Jinx shrugged.

"Fine…you and Raven are always 'fine'," He shook his head. Jinx cast a glance around the room.

"She's resting. Has been by your side for three days straight," Robin smiled. "She'll be pleased to hear you're up."

"No, let her rest. I'm about to fall asleep again anyway," Jinx yawned, stretching her arms above her head.

"Sleep well, friend. When you are back to normal, perhaps we could discuss the mechanics of your hair," Starfire smiled before floating out the door. Robin waved, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"Finally," Jinx rolled her eyes as she peeled back the covers and hopped out of bed. She noticed a slight breeze in an odd place and discovered that aside from her bandage and a thin hospital cover, she was naked. _Well that won't do. I don't give free shows_, she looked around the tables in the room, quickly spotting her normal attire neatly folded beside a vase of lavender orchids. She just stared silently for a few moments, stomach tightening and shivers running across her skin. A smile plastered her face and she scampered over, sniffing the fragrant flowers, knowing all too well who the anonymous gift was from. She grew irritated when dressing took longer than the few seconds she was willing to patiently wait.

Barefoot on the gray carpet, Jinx tip-toed down the hall. All was quiet aside from the light patter of her steps. Nimble fingers slid the door open and she slipped inside, unnoticed. The smell within was wonderfully familiar yet still shocking to her senses. Eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, spotting the resting form curled up beneath the covers. She smiled, a wicked sparkle in her eye, creeping to the edge of the bed.

Raven shifted, making quiet little sounds. _Cute girl noises…_Jinx looked over the curvy girl, ending on her closed eyes. Resisting the urge to pounce, she cautiously pulled back the covers, slid onto the bed, and carefully straddlled the empath without waking her. Once satisfied, Jinx leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.

Violet eyes snapped open in confusion before recognizing the form on top of her. "Jinx-"

The sorceress placed a raised index finger to her lips, motioning Raven to keep quiet. A relieved smiled graced the pale girl's face. Jinx smirked, tilting her head to the side as she traced her prey's collar bone with her middle finger. "Thank you for the flowers," she smiled warmly.

"You're welcome," Raven returned the gesture.

"All in all a good mission, eh?"

"Aside from getting shot and almost bleeding to death…sure, why not," Raven smiled contently under the girl.

"You fixed me up, no worries. I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't owe me anything, Jinx."

"No, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve a little something…" The feline arched a brow, running her fingers down Raven's stomach, pleasantly surprised to see the effect on the girl beneath her.

Raven couldn't find words to describe the feelings gushing inside her. Instead, she lay there squirming, goose flesh quickly spreading across her soft skin.

"I'll take that silence and cute expression as a 'Yes, love'."


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

I never realized what a fool I was for that girl. The extent at which she rooted herself into me and my semblance of a life was almost disturbing. I'd do anything for her, anything just to be with her. Fight until my last breath just to see those wonderful violet eyes. She became my stars in the night…

* * *

The full moon peaked from behind the clouds laying low in the sky. Pale light cast a silvery glow over all that stood silent in the night. A gentle breeze hummed. Somewhere in the sleeping city, two pink eyes peered out with from the shadows with a smile, taking in the quiet building across the way. Without disturbing her surroundings, the figure crept along the wall before dashing across the street, unnoticed. She was alone in her midnight quest; at least, she hoped so.

Nimble fingers plucked picking tools from her black nylon jacket, smoothly sliding into the locked back door. She bested the tumblers in a few short seconds and without a sound, slipped into the building.

Almost immediately after taking a glance around the gloomy office she knew she shouldn't be there. Something was off in the air; something was lurking. Her eyes darted back and forth, searching. Not wanting to take a chance, she crept back out and shut the door before taking off at a dead sprint down the wet alley. Her boots thumped the ground in a rapid, even rhythm as her lungs billowed with deep breaths. No footsteps came from behind yet she knew she was being followed. Years of thieving honed her senses; they were reliable and a life saver.

Ducking down a narrow street she chanced a glance over her shoulder; no one was there. She slowed to a walk, panting quietly as she rubbed her temple. Perhaps she was just a little paranoid, no one was ever following her, right? With a shrug, she turned back.

In a split second she was tackled by something, flung into the alley, and slammed hard against the wall. Hands forcefully pinned her arms to the brick as a pair of lips pressed firmly against her own. Jinx was taken utterly off guard, every sensory neuron firing off the same pleasurable message; she quickly gave in to the soft, smooth lips kissing her. When her attacker pulled back, violet-blue eyes smirked playfully. Raven pressed up against her prey, freeing her hands to drift to the sorceress' side. She nibbled exposed neck before whispering in her ear.

"Caught you…"

The hot breath sent shivers down Jinx's spine; she bit her lip to keep back a moan.

"What were you doing sneaking around like that…" Raven continued her assault on her girlfriend's senses, tracing up and down her side, across her stomach, and back to cradle her chin for the kiss that quickly followed. Her own wicked smile spread across her lips as she watched the girl melt before her. In a puff of cool mist, the Titan vanished, leaving a rather aroused and bewildered Jinx standing alone in the alley.

"I…damnit, Raven…" She lifted her hand to find a small note folded in her palm.

_Feline, _

_The moon is full and my bed currently made. This simply cannot be…_

Jinx promptly shoved the note in her pocket and took off down the road.

After a long distance run at breakneck speed, she typed in her code and ripped open the front door of the Tower, taking the steps three at a time. Robin looked up from the TV as she passed the couch he was lounging on in the living room. "Hey, how did checking the security in the office building go?" he stared as she moved rapidly across the room with an odd and determined look in her eyes.

"I picked the back door and got inside without any alarms tripped, but I had to leave abruptly due to…distractions…" she trailed off as she opened the double doors leading to the hallway.

Robin raised a brow, thinking for a moment before shaking his head. "Scorpios…"

The elevator seemed to inch its way up towards the top level, leaving a very frustrated girl pacing the tiny floor. She growled, drumming her fingers on the steel wall as the seconds ticked by. The doors parted; she stripped herself of the jacket and ran down the hall, slowing as she neared the closed door where she hoped to find her crafty Raven. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she wiped a drip of sweat from her brow before sliding the door open.

Darkness engulfed her as the door cut off what little light poured from the hallway. The dead quiet led her to wonder if the empath was even home. She shuffled her way towards where she thought the light switch was. Her extended hand bumped into a solid form; a familiar snicker broke the silence and Jinx pounced. The two fell to the floor with a thud.

"Smooooth, Jinx."

"Oh, shut-up…" the former thief stood and blindly helped the Titan to her feet. A few candles lit with the snap of fingers and Raven shoved the other girl onto the bed, crawling on top and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"What took you so long?" She asked coyly.

Jinx just growled and flipped her over, pinning her beneath her larger form. "Oh, I don't know, maybe I was on the other side of the city," she snarled as Raven tried to flip her, biting the girls neck firmly; the empath froze as shivers ran down her spine. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into…"

* * *

The early morning sun trickled through the window; clothes lay scattered across the floor. The covers were twisted and wrinkled, with just a corner covering the naked form of one girl while the other was presumably hidden beneath the rest. Raven shivered, blinking her eyes open. Why was she so cold _…oh_. She grabbed a handful of comforter and dragged it all over, snuggling comfortably underneath. Jinx yawned loudly. The cool air against her bare skin awoke her, and she looked around, smiling sleepily at the cute girl curled up beside her.

She propped her head up on an arm. "I love you."

"You stole _all_ the covers," replied the mound of fabric.

Jinx shook her head and burrowed under the blankets, surfacing once she was pleasantly close and wrapped around her Raven. "Maybe I like looking at you."

"As you were snoring?" Raven smirked.

"I don't snore."

"Yeah, okay…" The empath turned with a smile, kissing the feline. "I love you too, Jinx." Both beamed, squeezing one another tightly. Raven grinned "Breakfast-"

"-is at seven, I know, I know," Jinx groaned, rolling over to fall to the floor. She lay there, face pressed against the carpet, for a few moments while Raven peered over the edge. She never knew how curvy and tone that girl was… She now contently ran her eyes up and down the girl's naked frame every chance she got. Like this occasion.

"Maybe you should get some sun…"

"Like you're one to talk!" Jinx shouted.

Downstairs at the table, the five Titans and Jinx sat down to eat. As usual, Starfire was too chipper, Cyborg way too enthusiastic about waffles, Robin too distracted, and Beast Boy far too curious as to what Raven and Jinx did the previous night. The changeling drummed his fingers on the table nonchalantly and leaned over towards the two.

"So…what were you two doing so late last night?"

"Having sex," both replied casually, never looking away from their bowls of cereal and toast.

Cyborg shook his head with a grin, slapping Beast Boy on the back of his head. Robin laughed and Starfire just smiled, utterly confused yet still too excited to remember why.

"Well, whenever you get around to it Jinx, the old electronics store on Vine Street needs its security checked. They noticed a lot of stuff missing and think it might be someone on the inside, but still want to check."

Jinx suddenly became interested in a speck on the tabletop, all too familiar with the location he spoke of. "Yeah, I'll check the place out," she grinned at the slightly smirking Raven across from her. "But remember, I'm off tonight. Have plans with a certain someone over at my place…"

"God, is that all you two ever do?" Beast Boy threw his hands up in the air.

Raven only chuckled and Jinx leaned back in her chair.

* * *

~Khaleda


End file.
